Huella genética de cultivares de Capsicum Annuum L. y su relación con el perfil de carotenoides y fenoles

Abstract

The genus Capsicum provides antioxidant compounds, such as phenolics and carotenoids, into the diet. In Mexico a wide diversity of species and varieties of chilli exist, a fruit with local cultural and gastronomic importance. In the present work, the relationship between the carotenoid and phenolic profiles and RAPD fingerprint of different commercial cultivars and origins of chilli was investigated. Through RAPD, the species of chilli were differentiated by means of different primers (OPE-18, MFG-17, MFG-18, C51 and C52); the genetic distance found with OPE 18 was in the order of 2.6. The observed differences were maintained when the chromatographic profile of carotenoids and the molecular markers were simultaneously analyzed, which suggests a close relationship between carotenoids and the genetic profile. In addition, by using infrared spectroscopy and statistical PCA, method differences explained by geographic origin were found; thus, this could be an alternative for identification of chilli species with respect to their geographic origin.