What nutritional benefit increases significantly when a banana pepper ripens from yellow to red?
Answer
Vitamin C concentration
While the yellow stage of the banana pepper offers peak crispness and tanginess, allowing the fruit to fully ripen to red triggers a significant chemical shift, primarily resulting in increased sweetness and a richer flavor profile. Most importantly for health, this later stage of ripeness correlates with a notable boost in nutritional content, particularly Vitamin C, which can increase substantially compared to its content when yellow. This trade-off means choosing red prioritizes antioxidant load and Vitamin C intake over volume yield.

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