Physical-chemical quality and bioactive compounds of red bell pepper, under soil cover and fertilization

Abstract

Bell pepper crop is among the ten most important vegetables in Brazil. Using organic fertilizers as an alternative to mineral fertilizers is an integral part of the search for safe food from organic production systems. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the quality of red bell pepper fruits, grown under soil cover and organic and or mineral fertilization. Treatments consisted of three soil cover types [no cover; covered with carnaúba straw (Copernicia prunifera) and covered with weeding] and fertilizers [100% organic (OF) and 0% mineral (MF); 100% OF and 50% MF; 50% OF and 50% MF; 50% of OF and 100% of MF and 0% of OF and 100% of MF], the design used was randomized blocks with a split plot arrangement of 3 x 5 and 4 replicates. Analyzed variables were color, firmness, pH, soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (TA), ratio (SS/TA), vitamin C, carotenoids, total flavonoids and phenols. For bell pepper fruits, soil cover with carnaúba straw provided better carotenoid content. Organomineral fertilization increased carotenoids and phenols accumulation and the treatment with only organic fertilization resulted in lower contents of these bioactive compounds.