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Pepper is the hollow fruit of an herbaceous plant that bears the same name. It belongs to the Solanaceae family and, specifically, to the Capsicum genus. Solanaceae is a family that includes about 75 genera and around 2,300 species of plants, including those of the California variety:

It is characterized by its size as it is a short fruit (7-10 cm), wide (6-9 cm), with three or four well-defined lobes, with the calyx and the base of the peduncle below or at shoulder level, and thick flesh (3-7 mm).

They are the most temperature-demanding cultivars.

They are harvested in red, green, or yellow color.

NUTRITIONAL PROPERTIES

The main component of pepper is water, followed by carbohydrates, making it a vegetable with low caloric content. It is a good source of fiber and, like the rest of vegetables, its protein content is very low and it hardly provides fats.

Regarding its vitamin content, peppers are very rich in vitamin C, especially red ones. In fact, they contain more than double the amount found in fruits like oranges or strawberries.

They are a good source of carotenoids, including capsanthin, a pigment with antioxidant properties that gives some peppers their characteristic red color.

Its content of provitamin A (Beta carotene and cryptoxanthin) that the body transforms into vitamin A as needed, folates, and vitamin E is also remarkable. In smaller amounts, other vitamins of the B group such as B6, B3, B2, and B1 are present. Its content of the aforementioned vitamins C and E, along with carotenoids, make pepper animportant source of antioxidants, substances that take care of our health.

Vitamin C, in addition to being a powerful antioxidant, is involved in the formation of collagen, red blood cells, bones, and teeth, while promoting the absorption of iron from food and increasing resistance to infections.

Vitamin A is essential for vision, good skin condition, hair, mucous membranes, bones, and for the proper functioning of the immune system.

Folates are involved in the production of red and white blood cells, in the synthesis of genetic material, and in the formation of antibodies of the immune system.

Among the minerals, the presence of potassium is noteworthy. In smaller proportions, magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium are present. The calcium in peppers is hardly assimilated compared to dairy or other foods considered a very good source of this mineral.

Potassium is necessary for the transmission of nerve impulses, muscle activity, and regulates the water balance inside and outside the cell.

Magnesium is related to the functioning of the intestine, nerves, and muscles, is part of bones and teeth, improves immunity, and has a mild laxative effect.

Phosphorus plays an important role in the formation of bones and teeth, just like magnesium and calcium.