Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is an excellent source of natural antioxidants, including carotenoids and phenolic compounds which role appears relevant to prevent some human diseases and to be used in food industry to prevent the decay by peroxidation of lipid bearing foods. The recovery of these compounds requires however the use of mild technologies, such as supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), in order to preserve their antioxidant power. On this basis, a research has been developed with the aim of testing the technical feasibility of a SFE process for the fractionated recovery of carotenoids and phenolic compounds from pepper.

Fresh pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) contains a large number of carotenoidic and phenolic antioxidants which role appears relevant to prevent some human diseases. Among carotenoids, which level increases extensively during maturation, the most representative are a- and b-carotene, b-cryptoxanthin, capsanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin, while phenolic fraction includes mainly phenolic acids (cinnamic acid derivatives and hydroxy-substituted benzoic acids) and flavonoids (e.g. quercetin and luteolin). Due to their antioxidant power, these compounds can be profitably extracted and used in the food industry to prevent the decay by peroxidation of lipid bearing foods. The recovery of these compounds requires however the use of mild extraction technologies, in order to preserve their antioxidant power. In such a contest, the use of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is of interest, allowing the recovery of bioactive extracts, whose commercial value could remunerate the process.