American Spice Trade Association Research Articles

Effects of selected biostimulants on qualitative and quantitative parameters of nine cultivars of the genus Capsicum spp.

Abstract Despite the growing popularity of biostimulants among farmers, a major problem remains with their variable effects on individual species and varieties of cultivated crops. Therefore, it is important to know how to choose a suitable product for the given growing conditions while simultaneously considering species and varietal variability in crop cultivation. The goal of this study is to highlight different reactions of plants to the applied preparations within the monitored representatives of the Capsicum genus, with an emphasis on intervarietal variability. The experiments with two monitored and one control variants occurred during the growing seasons of 2020 and 2022 in Slovakia’s southwest region, characterized by a European continental climate with warm and dry summers. Seven varieties of Capsicum annuum and two varieties of Capsicum chinense were chosen based on actual growers’ preferences: “Žitava,” “Szegedi 80,” “Karkulka,” “Hodoníska sladká,” “Habanero Orange,” “Habanero Chocolate,” “Kristián,” “Damián” and “Kurtovska kápia.” In the present study, we observed the effects of selected commercial biostimulants – the combination of Energen Fulhum Plus and Energen Fruktus Plus in the first variant and the biostimulant Humix® Universal in the second variant – on bell pepper fruits. We evaluated three productivity parameters: fresh fruit weight per variety, weight of one fruit and number of bell pepper fruits per plant. From the qualitative parameters, we evaluated the content of ascorbic acid, capsaicin, carotenoids, and the American Spice Trade Association color value. The monitored biostimulants had variable effects in all pepper varieties, while some of them statistically significantly increased and others significantly decreased the monitored parameters. In conclusion, we state that the application of verified biostimulants did not have a uniform effect on the observed varieties of the Capsicum genus. Therefore, based on our results, we cannot generalize the effect of a specific biostimulant on a specific crop genus or species.

Prediction of quality traits in dry pepper powder using visible and near-infrared spectroscopy

Fruit quality phenotyping is a bottleneck in plant breeding. The present work aimed to investigate the applicability of visible (Vis) and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for quality evaluation in dry red chili powder. We constructed prediction models for the American Spice Trade Association (ASTA)-colour and the Scoville Heat Unit (SHU)-pungency pepper traits using spectroscopy and multivariate statistical techniques. Predictive partial least squares (PLS) models were successfully achieved with high correlations (r) between the predicted and reference values for calibration and validation (r = 0.955 and 0.928 for ASTA-colour; r = 0.941 and 0.918 for SHU-pungency). Spectroscopy data from visible and short-wave radiation (Vis-SWNIR) provided the most robust (residual predictive deviation value) model for ASTA-colour (RPD = 2.84) and long-wave radiation (LWNIR) for SHU-pungency (RPD = 2.48). Spectral categories for wavelength range selection, variable importance for effective wavelength selection, and root mean press-statistic for factor selection were important criteria for PLS. Trait variance and distribution were also important criteria for the predictive capacity and power of the models. In conclusion, non-invasive spectroscopy was a promising tool in our study for dry red chili quality phenotyping.

The American Spice Trade Association’s response to New York State’s new regulatory policies for heavy metals in spices

Not Applicable

Predicting ASTA color values of peppers via LED-induced fluorescence

American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) color value is a key factor for determining the commercial value of red pepper. This study investigates the potential of predicting ASTA color values of red pepper using LED-induced fluorescence. Excitation emission matrixes (EEMs) were first obtained in a front-face configuration. To determine the excitation wavelengths for LED-induced fluorescence measurement, parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) combined with EEMs were used. According to PARAFAC, 375 nm was selected be the peak wavelength of the excitation light source of the LED-induced fluorescence system. The spectra obtained from the system were used to predict ASTA color values using partial least squares regression (PLSR) and support vector machine (SVM). With optimal preprocessing method, the highest correlation coefficients of prediction ( R p ) could reach 0.971 with RMSEP of 3.672, RPD of 3.563 and REP of 6.170. Results revealed that LED-induced fluorescence has the potential for rapid prediction of ASTA color values of red peppers. • LED-induced fluorescence was used for the first time to predict ASTA color values. • PARAFAC model was established to retrieve pure fluorophores in EEMs. • Excitation light source wavelength was selected based on the result of PARAFAC. • PLSR and SVM models were built using the LED-induced fluorescence spectra. • Models exhibited good predictive performance on the ASTA color values.

Investigation of genetic factors regulating chlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis in red pepper fruit.

Chlorophylls and carotenoids are synthesized in the chloroplast and chromoplast, respectively. Even though the two pigments are generated from the same precursor, the genetic correlation between chlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis has not yet been fully understood. We investigated the genetic correlation of chlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis during fruit ripening. Two recombinant inbred lines populations, “Long Sweet” × “AC2212” (“LA”) RILs derived from a cross between Capsicum annuum “Long Sweet” with light-green and light-red fruit and C. annuum “AC2212” with dark-green and brown-fruit and “3501 (F)” × “3509 (C)” (“FC”) RILs from C. annuum “3501” with dark-green and dark-red fruit and C. annuum “3509” with intermediate green and light-red fruit, were used. As the fruit ripened, three accessions produced high levels of xanthophyll. The dark-green immature fruit accumulated more total carotenoids than the light-green fruit. This trend corresponded to the expression pattern of 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase (DXS) and CaGLK2 genes during fruit development. The expression levels of DXS and CaGLK2 in the dark-green accession “3501” were significantly higher than those of “3509” and “Long Sweet” during the early stages of fruit development. Furthermore, the genotype analysis of the transcription factor controlling chloroplast development (CaGLK2) in LA RILs revealed that CaGLK2 expression affected both carotenoid and chlorophyll contents. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) linkage maps were constructed using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) for the two populations, and QTL analysis was performed for green fruit color intensity and carotenoid content. The QTL (LA_BG-CST10) for capsanthin content in LA RILs located at 24.4 to 100.4 Mbp on chromosome 10 was overlapped with the QTL (FC15-Cap10) for capsanthin content in FC RILs. Three QTLs for capsanthin content, American spice trade association (ASTA) value, and immature green fruit color intensity were also overlapped from 178.2 to 204 Mbp on chromosome 10. At the location, 151.6 to 165 Mbp on chromosome 8, QTLs (FC15-tcar8, FC17-ASTA8.1, and FC17-ASTA8.2) for total carotenoid content and ASTA value were discovered, and this region contained 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate cytidylyltransferase (MCT), which is involved in the MEP pathway. This result is the first report to show the correlation between carotenoid and chlorophyll biosynthesis in pepper. This research will expand our understanding of the mechanism of the chloroplast-to-chromoplast transition and the development of high pigment pepper varieties.

Image Analysis as a Tool for Estimation of Red Peppers’ Color

Red pepper is an excellent source of natural red color. The estimation of color is of great importance, as it is being used for grading red peppers to suit various applications in the food industry. A novel method for quick and easy determination of the color of red peppers by analyzing the color images obtained from a flatbed scanner was developed and validated. ImageJ software was used for measuring the RGB values of the images and the RGB values thus obtained were converted into the industrially accepted American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) color values in red peppers by using an empirical formula. The results were compared with color values obtained through ASTA chemical analytical method. The developed image analysis method was used for the analysis of red peppers with color values ranging from 15 to 154 ASTA units. The image analysis method showed good agreement with the chemical method for color values ranging from 40 to 140 ASTA units. The new method is also fast and easy to adopt and is deemed useful in the field, of processing and storage facilities, where access to sophisticated instrumentation for color estimation and color stability studies is limited.

Correlation of Carotenoids Content and ASTA Values of Pepper (Capsicum chinense) Genetic Resources

In this study, 226 Capsicum chinense genetic resources were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography and a spectrophotometer to measure and compare their carotenoid content and American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) color values, respectively. The total carotenoid content and ASTA values of the 226 pepper genetic resources were found to be in the range of 7.04–2430.85 mg/100 g dry weight (DW) and 0–221.32, respectively. Capsanthin, capsorubin, lutein, zeaxanthin, antheraxanthin, violaxanthin, α-carotene, β-carotene, and β-cryptoxanthin were the individual carotenoids studied. The average content of each carotenoid (n = 226) in mg/100 g DW was as follows: capsanthin (325.77), antheraxanthin (136.34), capsorubin (82.36), β-carotene (59.11), violaxanthin (46.54), zeaxanthin (43.21), α-carotene (13.91), β-cryptoxanthin (9.67), and lutein (2.72). A strong positive correlation was observed between total carotenoid content and ASTA value (r = 0.965). Likewise, the individual carotenoid content and ASTA value revealed a strong correlation, such as antheraxanthin (r = 0.964), capsanthin (r = 0.946), and capsorubin (r = 0.858). Three genetic resources with a total carotenoid content above 2000 mg/100 g DW were obtained, such as IT261426 (2430.85 mg/100 g DW), IT183657 (2077.55 mg/100 g DW), and IT261213 (2062.54 mg/100 g DW). The findings of this study will assist in the selection of genetic resources with high carotenoid content and ASTA value that can be used to develop and breed new pepper varieties. Also, detailed results of ASTA value correlation with carotenoids in C. chinense genetic resources are provided.

Optimization of accelerated solvent extraction of paprika oleoresin and its effect on capsaicinoid and carotenoid composition

Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) is an automatic extraction technology that performs at elevated temperature and pressure to achieve efficient extraction of compounds from solid or semisolid samples in a very short time. In this study, the response surface method (RSM) was used to establish an efficient ASE method for rapid extraction of high-quality paprika (Capsicum) oleoresin with American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) color value as the response variable. The ASTA color values and pungency levels of paprika oleoresin obtained by ASE, maceration extraction (ME) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) were further compared. The optimal conditions for ASE procedure are a static time of 28 min, an extraction temperature of 78 °C, and 2 cycles. Under these optimal conditions, the ASTA color value of extracted paprika oleoresin reached 847 and the scoville heat unit (SHU) reached 57,200 ± 362. These values were significantly higher than those obtained by ME (ASTA color value: 607, SHU: 42,800 ± 144) or UAE (ASTA color value: 750, SHU: 50,500 ± 1690). These results were also reflected by total carotenoid and capsaicinoid content. There was little difference in carotenoid distribution in ASE, ME and UAE samples. In addition, ASE did not promote additional trans/cis transformation of carotenoids.

Effects of use of modified traditional driers in making smoked paprika “Pimentón de La Vera”, on pepper quality and mitigation of PAH contamination

“Pimentón de La Vera” is a smoked paprika regulated by a Protected Designation of Origin. The smoking process confers highly-valued sensorial properties to paprika. However, this particular drying process also increases the levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to concerning concentrations. In this work, two modified dryers were compared to a traditional dryer as a strategy to mitigate PAH contamination. Drying parameters (temperature and humidity of the dryers, days of drying required), quality of the peppers (moisture, reflected colour parameters, ASTA (American Spice Trade Association) units, PACI ([1000a*/(L* + H*)]) index, and colour stability), and the content of benzo(a)pyrene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, and benzo(a)anthracene were evaluated during four different seasons. The moisture of the fresh peppers varied among the seasons (ranging from 69.4% to 81.4%), and was positively related with lower drying times. There were no differences in the final moisture of the peppers on the basis of dryer type used. Different seasons influenced the colour values of the dried peppers. Peppers obtained from dryer type 2 presented the highest values of extractable colour (133 ASTA units). Differences in PAH4 levels were observed between seasons (ranging from 277 to 1208 µg/kg) and between the types of dryer used (ranging from 432 to 932 µg/kg). Dryer type 2, characterized by combustion of firewood in a closed chamber and forced convection with a fan, diminished the levels of PAHs contamination and maintained the quality of the smoked paprika.

Method Validation and Measurement Uncertainty Determination of Ethoxyquin and Antioxidant Activity in Paprika Seasonings and Paprika Sauces Frequently Consumed in South Korea

In this study, we investigated and validated a method for the quantitative analysis of ethoxyquin in paprika seasonings and sauces, which are frequently consumed in South Korea. Using this analytical method, we were able to confirm the presence of ethoxyquin under optimized high-performance liquid chromatography/photodiode array (HPLC-PDA) and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry conditions. Additionally, the antioxidant activity of ethoxyquin was assessed using the American Spice Trade Association values and its residual levels in paprika seasoning samples. The HPLC-PDA limits of detection and quantification for ethoxyquin were found to be 0.26 and 0.79 μg/mL, and 0.33 to 1.00 μg/mL, and the recoveries of ethoxyquin ranged from 86.75 to 101.70%, with relative standard deviations ranging from 0.31% to 3.59%. These results indicated that the analytical method in this study should be appropriate for the quantitative analysis of ethoxyquin in paprika seasoning and sauce matrices.

Breeding chili pepper for simultaneous improvement in dry fruit yield, fruit quality and leaf curl virus disease tolerance

ABSTRACT Enhanced productivity in dry chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), and improvement of fruit quality for industrial use in the export market, is a goal of plant breeders worldwide. Genotypes having a broad genetic background, and phenotypic diversity, were chosen as parents and crossed in a 6 × 6 diallel fashion without reciprocals to produce 15 F1 pepper hybrids to determine the mode of gene action, the extent of heterosis and dominance effect, and to estimate combining ability for quantitative traits. The predictability ratio exhibited a desired response for non-additive gene action in controlling expression of most traits including dry fruit yield per plant, but not for fruit length, fruit diameter, and capsaicin content which were controlled by additive and non-additive gene action, and dry fruit weight, percent disease index (PDI) of leaf curl virus controlled by additive gene effect. The maximum heterobeltiosis, in the desired direction, was for dry fruit yield per plant followed by a number of fruit per plant, fruit β-carotene content, PDI of chili leaf curl virus, and American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) color value. The good combiners cvs. Srinagar, Beldanga and BCCH Sel-4 were identified based on general combining ability effects and average performance. Hybrids ‘BCC-30 × G-4ʹand ‘BCCH Sel-4 × Beldanga’ were considered promising for value-added products and export based on average values, heterosis manifested, and relevance of specific combining ability effects. Testing is required to verify responses under field conditions. Promising hybrids could also be exploited in segregating generations to identify pure lines with desirable traits. Commercially exploitable chili hybrids tolerant to leaf curl virus disease could be developed with involvement of a single parent tolerant to this disease. Correlation indicated that selecting high yielding genotypes could have more contents of capsaicin, β-carotene, and ASTA color value in dry chili fruit. The outcome of the study for improved quality and productivity of dry chili will enable India and neighboring dry chili producing countries (China, Pakistan and Bangladesh) to increase exports of chilies and chili products, effectively meeting the competition from South American and African countries.

Characterization of Red Peppers (Capsicum annuum) by High-performance Liquid Chromatography and Near-infrared Spectroscopy

ABSTRACTDehydration of peppers (Capsicum annuum) is a widely used preservation method. In this study, sun- and hot air-dried red peppers were analyzed for American Spice Trade Association color units, capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, organic acids, and free sugars by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and soluble solids by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR). In the validation of HPLC protocols, the relative standard deviations were less than 5%, fulfilling the required criteria of Association of Official Analytical Chemists. The concentrations of capsaicin (80.4 mg kg−1), dihydrocapsaicin (38.0 mg kg−1), lactic acid (85.2 mg/100 g), glucose (1.521%), and fructose (3.463%) were slightly higher in sun-dried peppers. Linear discriminant analysis showed that NIR spectroscopy is more useful in discriminating sun- and hot air-dried pepper samples.

대기압 유전체장벽방전 플라즈마에 의한 건고추의 식중독균 살균효과 및 품질변화

This study was conducted to explore the potential for use of atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge plasma (atmospheric pressure DBD plasma) as a non-thermal sterilization technology for microorganisms in dried red pepper. The effects of key parameters such as power, exposure time and distance on the sterilization efficiency and the quality of red dried pepper by the atmospheric pressure DBD plasma treatment were investigated. The results revealed that the plasma treatment was very effective for sterilization of Staphylococcus aureus, with 15 min of treatment at 1.0 kW and 20 mm sterilizing 82.6% of the S. aureus. Increasing the power or exposure time and decreasing the exposure distance led to improved sterilization efficiency. The atmospheric pressure DBD plasma treatment showed no effect on the ASTA (American spice trade association) value or hardness of dried red pepper. Furthermore, no effects of atmospheric pressure DBD plasma treatment were observed on the sensory properties of dried red pepper. To assess the storage stability, the dried red pepper was treated with atmospheric pressure DBD plasma (1.5 kW power, 15 min exposure time and 10 mm exposure distance), then stored for 12 weeks at 25°C. Consequently, the ASTA value, hardness and capsaicin concentration of dried red pepper were maintained.

Paprika pepper yield and quality as affected by different irrigation levels

This study was carried out to determine the effects of irrigation levels on yield and quality of paprika pepper under Harran plain conditions of Turkey. Different water stress levels under drip irrigation system were created by applying 125% of cumulative Class-A Pan evaporation (CAP 125 ), 100% (CAP 100 ), 75% (CAP 75 ) and 50% (CAP 50 ) of cumulative class-A-pan (CAP) evaporation in every 3 days. Besides, an irrigation treatment with IRSIS (Irrigation Scheduling Information System) computer program was created and applied as an alternative irrigation program. Three paprika pepper cultivars (Ace, King and Queens) were tested. Experiments were conducted in randomized blocks split plots design with 3 replications in 2005 at Koruklu Station of GAP Regional Development Administration located in Harran Plain of Sarliurfa, Turkey. Applied irrigation water amount and ET (Evapotranspiration) values for IRSIS treatment were 874 mm and 908 mm, respectively. Applied irrigation amount and ET values of CAP 125 and CAP 50 were between 254-568 mm and 368-602 mm, respectively. The highest yield was obtained from IRSIS treatment with 25.63 t ha -1 and the lowest yield was obtained from CAP 50 with 11.72 t ha -1 . The yield was significantly affected by cultivar, irrigation and cultivar × irrigation interactions. The average moisture, ASTA (American Spice Trade Association), capsaicin, vitamin C and beta-carotene contents were respectively varied between 83.96 – 84.76%, between 225.76–286.22 mg kg -1 , between 1404.11–2408.11 mg kg -1 and between 77.88– 113.00 mg kg -1 . Beta-carotene contents were not affected significantly by the cultivars, irrigations and interactions. The effects of irrigation and interactions on vitamin C and capsaicin were not also significant while the effects of cultivar on vitamin C and capsaicin were significant at P<0.05 level. It was observed in this study that sufficient yield levels of paprika peppers might be achieved through implementation of proper irrigation and care practices.

Paprika pepper yield and quality as affected by different irrigation levels

This study was carried out to determine the effects of irrigation levels on yield and quality of paprika pepper under Harran plain conditions of Turkey. Different water stress levels under drip irrigation system were created by applying 125% of cumulative Class-A Pan evaporation CAP125 , 100% CAP100 , 75% CAP75 and 50% CAP50 of cumulative class-A-pan CAP evaporation in every 3 days. Besides, an irrigation treatment with IRSIS Irrigation Scheduling Information System computer program was created and applied as an alternative irrigation program. Three paprika pepper cultivars Ace, King and Queens were tested. Experiments were conducted in randomized blocks split plots design with 3 replications in 2005 at Koruklu Station of GAP Regional Development Administration located in Harran Plain of Şarlıurfa, Turkey. Applied irrigation water amount and ET Evapotranspiration values for IRSIS treatment were 874 mm and 908 mm, respectively. Applied irrigation amount and ET values of CAP125 and CAP50 were between 254-568 mm and 368-602 mm, respectively. The highest yield was obtained from IRSIS treatment with 25.63 t ha-1 and the lowest yield was obtained from CAP50 with 11.72 t ha-1. The yield was significantly affected by cultivar, irrigation and cultivar × irrigation interactions. The average moisture, ASTA American Spice Trade Association , capsaicin, vitamin C and beta-carotene contents were respectively varied between 83.96 – 84.76%, between 225.76–286.22 mg kg-1, between 1404.11–2408.11 mg kg-1 and between 77.88–113.00 mg kg-1. Beta-carotene contents were not affected significantly by the cultivars, irrigations and interactions. The effects of irrigation and interactions on vitamin C and capsaicin were not also significant while the effects of cultivar on vitamin C and capsaicin were significant at P

Horticultural and chemical quality characterization of accessions selected from four species of Capsicum

Pepper accessions with promising adaptations to the Korean growing environment were selected from Capsiucm annuum, C. frutescens, C. baccatum, and C. chinense. ‘Cherry Sweet,’ ‘Papri Sweet,’ and ‘Papri Mild’ accessions of C. annuum were selected for their fresh fruit quality. The fruit of ‘Cherry Sweet’ and ‘Papri Mild’ matured into a bright red color, with a high American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) color value, while the fruit of ‘Papri Sweet’ was characterized by a good taste and chewing texture. KC01299, KC01333, KC01338, and KC01345 accessions of C. frutescens had relatively low ASTA color values, but were highly pungent with a capsaicinoid content similar to or higher than Tabasco (375.5 mg·100 g−1) and 3 to 5 times that of ‘Cheongyang’ (103.3 mg·100 g−1), which is a popular Korean hot pepper cultivar. The three selected C. baccatum accessions (KC01739, KC00625, and KC00628) were tolerant to powdery mildew and viruses, with KC01691 and KC00625 having high sugar content. A good diversity in fruit shape and chemical quality components was found among the selected C. chinense accessions. The fruit of KC01693 (with a temporary RDA genebank number 800080) were light emerald green when immature and ivory to ripe apricot color when mature, with a high sweet taste and the characteristic aroma of C. chinense. The mature fruits contained similar levels of capsaicinoids as ‘Cheonyang,’ and had the highest sugar content of all tested accessions in this study. The red and orange lines bearing Korean chile pepper type fruits with tolerance to powdery mildew and viruses were selected from PI224445 (KC00163). The red fruit selection had the highest ASTA color value among all tested accessions, with the appropriate pungency for making Korean Kimchee. Bhut Jolokia had the highest ranking for capsaicinoid content, but its fruit set was poor. A red Habanero, KC01787, was selected for productivity, high capsaicinoid content, and tolerance to viruses in the field.

Accelerated Drying and Improved Color Properties of Red Pepper by Pretreatment of Pulsed Electric Fields

A pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment was applied to red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) as a drying pretreatment. The PEF treatment was conducted with electric field strength of 1.0–2.5 kV/cm using a fixed pulse width of 30 µs and at a pulse frequency of 100 Hz. The PEF treatment times were 1, 2, and 4 s. PEF treatment resulted in cell membrane disruption, without visible changes in the surface structure of red pepper. The degree of cell membrane disruption was field strength dependent. Drying of control and PEF-pretreated samples was conducted at 45°C. The untreated control reached the target moisture ratio of 0.15 after 4.9 h of drying, whereas the PEF-pretreated sample (2.5 kV/cm, 100 Hz, 4 s) required only 3.2 h for the same moisture ratio, indicating a 34.7% reduction in drying time. Even the shortest PEF pretreatment (2.5 kV/cm, 100 Hz, 1 s) required 3.9 h to reach the target moisture ratio, which corresponded to a 20.4% reduction in drying time. The reduction in drying time by PEF pretreatment was beneficial to color quality of dried red pepper, because greater than 10% increases in b* value and the American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) unit were observed. The drying curves of control and PEF-pretreated red pepper were analyzed using thin-layer drying models. Five models were fitted to the drying data, and Page's model was selected as the best representative model to describe the drying procedure.

Effects of Far-infrared Irradiance at Night on Quality of Sunlight Dried Red Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) in Plastic Houses

본 연구는 원적외선등 적정 조사량이 상품성과 건조 효율에 미치는 효과를 구명하기 위하여 실시하였다. 원적외선등 조사량은 대조구(관행), <TEX>$250W{\cdot}6.6m^{-2}$</TEX>, <TEX>$250W{\cdot}3.3m^{-2}$</TEX>, <TEX>$500W{\cdot}3.3m^{-2}$</TEX> 등 4처리를 두었다. 고추 건조기간은 <TEX>$500W{\cdot}3.3m^{-2}$</TEX>와 <TEX>$250W{\cdot}3.3m^{-2}$</TEX>는 12일, <TEX>$250W{\cdot}6.63m^{-2}$</TEX>는 14일, 관행은 15일이었다. 주간 온도는 처리 간에 동일하였으며, 야간 최저온도는 원적외선등 처리구가 <TEX>$29.5-37.2^{\circ}C$</TEX>, 관행이 <TEX>$23.8^{\circ}C$</TEX>로 가장 낮았다. 건고추 상품 수량은 원적외선등 <TEX>$250W{\cdot}3.3m^{-2}$</TEX> 처리에서 가장 우수하였으며, 원적외선등 조사 처리구가 대조구보다 7-14% 증가하였다. 상품과율은 원적외선등 조사 처리구에서 93.6-96.3%로 대조구 87.0-87.5%보다 높았다. 고추의 ASTA 값은 <TEX>$250W{\cdot}3.3m^{-2}$</TEX>, <TEX>$250W{\cdot}6.6m^{-2}$</TEX>, <TEX>$500W{\cdot}3.3m^{-2}$</TEX>, 관행 순으로 높았다. 캡사이신 capsaicin 함량은 처리 간에는 일정한 경향을 나타내지 않았다. 본 실험에서 얻어진 결과는 태양초 건조 기간 단축뿐만 아니라 고추의 품질 향상에 기여하리라 기대된다. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of night-time far-infrared irradiance quality of red pepper dried in greenhouses. This study involved 4 treatments: sunlight alone (control), or sunlight plus nightly far-infrared irradiation at <TEX>$250W{\cdot}6.6m^{-2}$</TEX> (<TEX>$250W{\cdot}6.6m^{-2}$</TEX>), far-infrared irradiation at <TEX>$250W{\cdot}3.3m^{-2}$</TEX> (<TEX>$250W{\cdot}3.3m^{-2}$</TEX>), or far-infrared irradiation <TEX>$500W{\cdot}3.3m^{-2}$</TEX> (<TEX>$500W{\cdot}3.3m^{-2}$</TEX>). The drying periods were 12 days in <TEX>$500W{\cdot}3.3m^{-2}$</TEX> and <TEX>$250W{\cdot}3.3m^{-2}$</TEX>, and 14 days in <TEX>$250W{\cdot}6.6m^{-2}$</TEX>, and 15 days in the control. The daytime temperature was same among the treatments. The lowest temperature was at <TEX>$23.8^{\circ}C$</TEX> in control, and <TEX>$29.5-37.2^{\circ}C$</TEX> in far-infrared irradiation treatments. The marketable yield was 7-14% higher in far-infrared irradiation treatments compared to the control. The rate of marketability was higher in far-infrared irradiation treatments (93.6-96.3%) than in the control (87.0-87.5%). The American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) value was greatest in the <TEX>$250W{\cdot}3.3m^{-2}$</TEX> treatment, followed by <TEX>$250W{\cdot}6.6m^{-2}$</TEX>, then <TEX>$500W{\cdot}3.3m^{-2}$</TEX>, and finally the control. Capsaicinoid content showed no regular trend among the treatments. Our results provide an optimized method for reducing drying time of red pepper under sunlight, and improving the quality of dried red pepper.

신품종 고추 24종의 phytochemicals 분석 및 생리활성 비교

본 연구에서는 한국산 고추를 교배하여 육성된 신품종 고추 24종류를 이용해 색도, ASTA 색상값을 측정하여 고추의 외적인 붉은색 품질을 분석하고, carotenoid의 함량을 측정하여 고추의 색상 특성을 연구하고자 하였습니다. 또한 phytochemicals 성분인 ascorbic acid, polyphenol, flavonoid 함량, capsaicinoids의 함량을 측정하였으며, 항산화 활성을 연구함으로써 신품종 고추의 특성을 분석하고, 신품종 고추 품질의 우수성을 탐색하고자 하였다. 색도를 측정한 결과는 품종 간 차이가 크지는 않았으며 기존의 국산 고추 품종과 비슷한 값을 나타내었다. ASTA 색상값은 116.69-249.83의 범위, 평균 173.64으로 나타나 선행연구에 비해 높게 측정되었다. 또한 carotenoid 함량이 3.19-6.11 mg/g dried weight의 분포를 보였으며, 평균값이 4.52 mg/g dried weight로 측정되어, Kim(11) 선행연구에서 발표한 함량에 비해 높았다. 고추의 유리당 함량은 품종 간에 차이가 크게 나타났으며, '품종 1'이 195.54 mg/g dried weight로 가장 높게 측정되었다. 고추의 ascorbic acid 함량은 8.08-11.53 mg/g dried weight로, 품종별로 다양한 수치를 나타내었다. 고추는 높은 polyphenol 함량과 flavonoid 함량을 가지고 있는 것으로 나타났으며, 이로 인한 다양한 생리활성 효과를 가질 것으로 기대되었다. 또한 Capsaicin과 dihydrocapsaicin의 함량을 측정한 결과, 상당히 넓은 분포 범위를 보였으며, 한국산업규격을 기준으로 '품종 5, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 18, 24'은 순한 맛, '품종 3, 6, 13'은 덜 매운 맛, '품종 1, 7, 12, 19'은 보통 매운 맛, '품종 23'은 매운 맛, 나머지 '품종 2, 4, 8, 9, 17, 20, 21, 22'은 매우 매운 맛으로 분류되었다. DPPH와 ABTS 자유기 소거활성은 모두 농도 증가함에 따라 항산화 활성이 증가하는 것으로 나타났으며, '품종 2, 4, 8, 9'는 다른 품종에 비해 항산화 활성이 높았다. 이번 연구를 통해 신품종 고추 간의 색상, 생리활성 성분 함량 및 항산화능의 차이를 확인하였으며, 선행연구와의 비교를 통해 기존 품종에 비해 대체적으로 품질이 향상된 품종임을 검증하였다. 본 연구는 새로 육종한 신품종 고추의 품질 차이를 분석하고 생리활성성분의 우수성을 확인하는 기초 연구로써, 기능성 식품소재로써의 고추의 이용 가능성을 증진시킬 수 있는 기초 자료가 될 수 있을 것으로 기대한다. This study aimed to investigate the activities of phytochemical and bioactive components from 24 new varieties of red pepper obtained by crossbreeding different Korean red pepper lines. The ASTA (American Spice Trade Association) color values ranged from 116.69 to 249.83 and the total carotenoid content ranged from 3.19 to 6.11 mg/g dried red pepper. The free sugar content ranged from 43.41 to 199.54 mg/g, and the fructose content was found to be higher than the glucose content. The ascorbic acid, total polyphenol, and flavonoid contents were found to be 8.08-11.53 mg/g, 7.93-14.26 mg gallic acid/g, and 4.24-10.07 mg quercetin/g dried pepper, respectively. Overall, the total polyphenol contents of the new varieties were found to be higher than the average content of Korean red peppers. The total capsaicinoid content in the new varieties varied widely from 0.42 to 237.87 mg/100 g dried pepper. The pepper-methanol extract antioxidant activities of 'variety 2, 4, 8, 9' were higher than others. A high correlation was observed between the antioxidant activities and the polyphenol contents (r=0.804, r=0.701).

Quality assessment of commercial paprikas

SummarySeveral quality parameters of smoked, oven‐dried and sun‐dried paprikas were studied. Smoked paprikas showed the highest American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) units and pigment concentrations, whereas oven‐dried paprikas showed the best browning index and red/yellow pigment ratio, and sun‐dried paprikas had the highest redness for reflected colour. The colour stability results showed drastic overall colour change (ΔE) and decreased redness and ASTA units of the sun‐dried and oven‐dried paprikas after two and 5 days of UV exposure. Degradation of the smoked paprika colour parameters was progressive, and they showed less degradation even after 30 days. The evaluation of the antioxidant activity showed higher DPPH radical‐scavenging capacity in the smoked samples. The profiles of volatile phenolic compounds of the smoked samples are responsible for the differences in the antioxidant capacity. The great differences in colour stability and antioxidant activity make smoked paprika the best choice for use in the food industry.