The improvement of white pepper quality through fermentation process by Acetobacter sp

Abstract

White pepper is a potential plantation commodity. The improvement of white pepper quality has been developed by the fermentation method. This research aimed to study the characteristics of white pepper through fermentation by the addition of Acetobacter sp. The procedures of the study consisted of several stages, i.e handling of raw material, fermentation, decorticating, washing, drying and quality analysis. The raw material was used in this study from Sukabumi, Indonesia. After threshing, 1.2 kg of pepper was soaked in water mixed with inoculum culture. The experiment used a completely randomized design (CRD) with two replications. The treatment consisted of: A) concentration of Acetobacter sp (A1 = 15, A2 = 20, A3 = 25%) and B) soaking duration (B1 = 3, B2 = 5 and B3 = 7 days). The result showed that the best treatment was the fermentation conducted for 5 days with the addition of 25% of Acetobacter sp. This condition produced white pepper in fulfilling in requirement of SNI standards with piperine content of 3.82%, essential oil content of 2.4% and TPC of 1.25 x 102 CFU/g. These cleaner bio-processes could contribute to the production of pepper providing environmentally friendly and sustainable methods.