Calories in Peppers, bell, orange

What makes peppers so powerful?

Bell peppers (Capsicum annuum) are members of the nightshade family (Solanaceae). Unlike their spicy relatives, they lack capsaicin due to a recessive gene that eliminates the production of the chemical responsible for heat. The vibrant orange hue comes from the accumulation of carotenoid pigments, primarily beta-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin, which develop as the fruit ripens. While green bell peppers are simply unripe fruits, orange and red peppers are fully mature. This extended time on the vine allows them to convert their starches into sugars, resulting in a noticeably sweeter flavor and a higher concentration of vitamins. Specifically, the ripening process triggers a surge in vitamin C and provitamin A carotenoids. Botanically speaking, because bell peppers develop from the flower of the plant and contain seeds, they are classified as fruits—more specifically, as berries, even though culinary traditions universally treat them as vegetables. The recessive mutation that eliminates capsaicin occurred naturally and was selectively bred by indigenous peoples in the Americas long before European contact.