Abstract
Changes were examined in vitamin C, protein total, reducing sugars, and carotenoids content in fruits of sweet pepper treated with ethephon (2-chloroethylphosphonic acid) before harvesting the fruits. The obtained results show that epplying ethephon caused an increase in vitamin C and carotenoids total content in fruits of pepper harvested 35 days after spraying. With an increase of xantophyll concentration (capsanthin + capsorubin) effected by ethephon, a decrease in ß-carotene occurred, and with an increase in the amount of ß-carotene a decrease in the amount of red carotenoids in pepper fruits was found.