The effect of application times and temperatures of hydro-precooling on the respiration rate of cayenne pepper (Capsicum annuum ‘bird’s eye’)

Abstract

Hydro-precooling is known as one of the methods to preserve quality during the storage period of agricultural products. Punctuality of the application and temperature of precooling water has a pronounced effect of the respiration rate of agricultural products. This research was intended to study the effect of application times and temperatures of the hydro-precooling process on the respiration rate of cayenne pepper (Capsicum annuum ‘Bird’s Eye’) during the storage period. Three different application times, just at harvesting, 12, and 24 hours after harvesting, and three water temperatures of 5°C, 10°C, and 15°C were studied in a completely randomized design with three replications. Chili samples were hydro-precooled by immersion method then loaded in the respirometer and stored in cold storage at the same temperature as precooled water temperatures. Oxygen and carbon dioxide changes were monitored using O2 and CO2 Gas Analyzer (Quantek 902D) every day for 21 days of storage period. It was found that storage time, precooling application time, water temperature, and their interaction significantly influenced the respiration rate of the samples. However, the respiratory quotient was only influenced by storage time and precooled product temperature (p<0.05). The treatment combination of precooling application just at harvesting and precooling temperature of 10°C resulted in the lowest respiration rate.