Abstract
Red bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is a popular and nutritious vegetable. In this study, oven cooking (OV), air-frying (AF), and infrared grilling (IR) were used to cook red bell peppers at different temperatures (170, 180, 190, and 200 °C). Changes in the total phenolic content, ascorbic acid content, antioxidant activity, and sugar and acrylamide content in red bell peppers were evaluated before and after cooking. The total phenolic and ascorbic acid contents decreased significantly after cooking (p < 0.05). Among the three evaluated methods, OV-cooked red bell peppers exhibited the highest antioxidant activity. The acrylamide content showed the lowest levels in OV 170 °C (93.67 ± 3.22 μg/kg dw) and the highest in AF 200 °C (1985.38 ± 76.39 μg/kg dw) samples. Compared to the AF and IR methods, OV was identified as the best way to preserve the antioxidant activity of red bell peppers while reducing acrylamide production. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-024-01623-y.