ABSTRACT
Peppers (Capsicum annuum L) are multifaceted and iconic plant species originated from Central and Southern America, they belong to the nightshade family Solanaceae, it varies in shapes, sizes, colors, flavors, heat levels, nutritional properties and it’s uses. This study aims to determine the proximate, mineral and microbial assessment of fresh Capsicum annuum. Fresh peppers were purchased from 5 different markets (Uselu, Oba, New Benin, Santana, Oliha) in the Benin metropolis and environs. A total of 25 pepper samples were purchased from the various markets. Standard biochemical methods were used to analyze the proximate composition of the pepper samples which are moisture (4.48±0.18 g/100g), ash (4.94±0.14 g/100g), carbohydrate (17.60±0.34 g/100g), protein (11.40±0.16 g/100g), fat (23.65±0.41 g/100g), crude protein (21.29±0.28 g/100g), crude fiber (38.76±1.07 g/100g). Analysis of mineral elements contents indicated that the most abundant mineral in pepper was potassium (654.12±5.46 mg/100g), followed by magnesium (237.59 ±3.63 mg/100g), calcium (174.71±2.93 mg/100g), iron (17.49±0.25 mg/100g), sodium (12.38 ±0.12 mg/100g), and manganese (2.16±0.05 mg/100g). Out of 25 samples collected from fresh pepper (pericarp and mesocarp) and the environment they were kept from 5 different markets, a microbial assessment was done to determine the microbial composition and 8 microorganisms were isolated. They are Bacillus spp., Candida spp, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris, Citrobacter spp., Klebsiella spp., Enterobacter spp. and Escherichia coli. Samples gotten from Uselu market (32.1%) were infected more with microorganism while, Oliha market (12.5%) were the least infected with microorganisms. The study showed that Bacillus spp. and Staphylococcus are were the most prevalent with each of them having a prevalence of 23.2% respectively. In this study it was observed that bacterial contamination was more than fungi contamination of fresh pepper. It was also discovered that the environment in which these peppers are kept also contribute greatly in their Spoilage (30.4%). In this study Candida spp. was isolated from all the samples got from Uselu market. Citrobacter was least prevalent in this study with a prevalence of 1.8%. It was only isolated from santana market. The results from this study shows that pepper can be an important dietary supplement for improving human health but care must be taken to prevent microbial infections.
