Peppers are an excellent source of ascorbic acid that besides the nutritional relevance, might contribute to prevent oxidative damage in the commodity . The tested ionizing radiation doses immediately after treatments at 2-, 4- and 6 kGy did not significantly affect ascorbic acid concentrations as compared to the control. Thus, non-irradiated samples contained 28.5 ± 2.6 mg/100 g, and levels following irradiation were 28.4 ± 1.7 (2 kGy), 27.8 ± 1.7 (4 kGy), and 27.7 ± 2.0 (6 kGy). However, ascorbic acid decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in both control and gamma-irradiated peppers during storage for 90 days (Figure 3). The general tendency for the amount of ascorbic acid that was lost was similar for all the irradiation treatments and it was highest (14.0%) at 6 kGy. Since ascorbic acid is highly prone to oxidation upon wounding , the modest reduction in treated samples is an indication that gamma radiation at tested doses does not cause significant injuries in pepper fruits.