3.8. Total antioxidant activity
Total antioxidant activity showed an increasing trend during
early days of storage while at later stages (with progress in
senescence) it showed a decreasing trend (Table 1). Flavonoids
have been found to contribute to the antioxidant activity in
peppers (Larson, 1988). In the present study the unpacked
fruits exhibited high antioxidant content due to early colour
break (green to red), showing a sigmoidal curve, followed by
decrease in antioxidant activity during senescence. Anti-fog
(RD45) film packed chillies retained antioxidant activity due to
delay in the progress of senescence followed by polyolefin, PELD
and microporous film packed chillies during storage at
8 1 8C. The results were in good agreement with those
reported by Shaha, Shafiqur and Afandi (2013) for chilli
peppers at different ripening stages. Similar results were also found in the case of blueberries during ripening (