Nutritional Aspects of Capsicum

Abstract

Capsicum species have been part of the human diet since the pre-Hispanic era. We consume peppers in many ways because they provide health benefits, but are we fully aware of the true extent of the nutraceutical benefits of peppers? They can aid in preventing disease and maintaining homeostasis, the proper functioning of the human organism. A knowledge of the nutritional value of Capsicum species is essential to the development of food and nutritional additives. The nutritional value of peppers is sufficient for Capsicum species to be considered as functional foods to alleviate human nutritional deficiencies by their simple inclusion in our daily diet. However, few developments have focused on the nutritional characterisation of Capsicum in terms of its proximate and mineral composition. Most of the available data are related to specialised metabolites, mainly the capsaicinoids and carotenoids. This chapter reviews the nutritional value of the Capsicum genus.