Capsicum Germplasm Targeted Valorization Using Physicochemical and Phytochemical Descriptors

Esteban Castaño-Llanos¹Maira Alejandra Vega-Muñoz¹Yohana Grisales-Vasquez²Oscar Alfonso Loaiza-Loaiza²Juan Camilo Henao-Rojas^2*Guillermo Montoya^1,3,4*

• ¹Facultad de Ingeniería, Diseño y Ciencias Aplicadas. Escuela de Ciencias Aplicadas e Industria Sostenible, Departamento de Ciencias Farmacéuticas y Químicas, Universidad Icesi., CALI, Colombia
• ²Centro de Investigación La Selva, Agrosavia, Rionegro, Colombia
• ³ICESI University, Cali, Colombia
• ⁴BioInc. Center for Biomass Valorization Research, Universidad Icesi, CALI, Colombia

Capsicum species are widely cultivated yet their full industrial potential remains underexplored due to limited characterization of their physicochemical and phytochemical descriptors. In this study, we comprehensively evaluated 284 Capsicum accessions to address this gap and assess their suitability for industrial applications across food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic sectors. Key quality descriptorssuch as capsaicinoids, soluble solids, carotenoids, color index, pH, and texture-were measured and statistical clustering methods, including principal component analysis and k-means clustering, were employed to group accessions based on these traits. The analysis revealed four distinct genotype groups and identified nine standout genotypes with superior attributes; for instance, some accessions exhibited high capsaicinoid content (up to 6062 mg/kg), elevated soluble solids (up to 17 °Brix), and remarkable carotenoid levels (up to 39.54 mg/g), meeting critical market demands. These findings provide a robust foundation for targeted breeding strategies and underscore the versatility of Capsicum as a valuable genetic resource for sustainable industrial innovation and conservation.