Several fruits, seeds, spices, and vegetables, with the common characteristic of pungency, are denominated ‘peppers and chilies.’ However, in the present article are presented plants of Capsicum genus, native from America and currently an important agricultural crop in the world. There are wild and domesticated Capsicum species, all them with similar structure of fruits. Commercially, they are valuated according color and pungency, which depends on their carotenoids and capsaicinoids contents, respectively. Despite their great nutritional value, pharmacological properties are attributed to peppers and chilies, and most are related to their phytochemical composition.
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