Quality Of Pepper Research Articles

Effects of electrolyzed water treatment on pesticide removal and texture quality in fresh-cut cabbage, broccoli, and color pepper

The effects of alkaline and acidic electrolyzed water (AlEW, AcEW) treatment on the removal of pesticides (phorate, chlorpyrifos, lambda-cyhalothrin, cyfluthrin, procymidone, and chlorothalonil) and texture quality of fresh-cut cabbage, broccoli, and color pepper were investigated. AlEW efficiently removed pesticides from color pepper, whereas AcEW was the optimal treatment for pesticide removal from cabbage and broccoli. AcEW resulted in greater losses of pyrethroid and organophosphates than fungicides, while AlEW was superior for removing fungicides. The best pesticide removal from cabbage (72.28%–91.04%) was achieved by continuous oscillation treatment, while intermittent oscillation for 20 min achieved optimal results for broccoli and color pepper (72.28%–90.11% and 72.24%–88.12%, respectively). No significant deterioration in texture was detected in samples treated with electrolyzed water for 5–25 min. The results suggest that electrolyzed water treatment is effective for removing organophosphate, pyrethroid, and fungicide residues from fresh-cut vegetables while not negatively affecting their texture quality.

Soil chemical parameters and microbiological quality of biquinho pepper irrigated with treated wastewater in protected environment

The aim of this work was to evaluate the soil chemical parameters and microbiological quality of biquinho pepper fruits irrigated with treated wastewater and different irrigation depths. The experiment was carried out in protected environment with the application of four irrigation depths corresponding to 50, 75, 100 and 125% of the crop evapotranspiration with three concentrations of 0, 50 and 100% of treated wastewater in the cultivation of biquinho pepper in pots. The experimental design was in randomized blocks in a 3 x 4 factorial scheme, totaling 12 treatments, with three replications. The soil chemical parameters were determined before and after the growing the pepper with treated wastewater. Reference evapotranspiration (ETo) was estimated by the FAO Penman-Monteith method using data obtained from an Automatic Weather Station installed inside the protected environment. The microbiological quality was analyzed by quantifying fecal coliforms and the presence of Salmonella sp. recommended by Brazilian National Agency for Sanitary Surveillance (ANVISA). All pepper samples were in accordance with the limits recommended by the legislation and, therefore, the use of wastewater in pepper irrigation did not represent a risk to public health. The soil chemical parameters were changed in different ways after the application of the treated wastewater, being motivated by both soil and wastewater chemical characteristics.

Effects of konjac glucomannan/pomegranate peel extract composite coating on the quality and nutritional properties of fresh-cut kiwifruit and green bell pepper.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-021-05006-7.

Effect of Aloe vera gel and Arabic gum coating on quality characteristics of green bell peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) during storage

Introduction: Capsicum annuum L. fruits have amount of natural antioxidants and essential nutrients such as: vitamin C, carotenoids, phenolic compounds, and elements like potassium. Appearance of the crops, such as the shape, color, size, freshness of the fruit, lack of physiological disorders and microbial diseases, have a very important role in the marketability of green bell peppers. Therefore, this crop always requires a method to reduce losses and maintain marketability in postharvest. One of the methods for reducing postharvest losses of horticultural crops is using of edible and non-edible coatings that, increased shelf life of crops by changing of exchange of gas and water surrounding of horticultural crops. Background and objectives: In order to reduce the losses and preserve the quality of green bell peppers (“California Wonder” cultivar), this study was designed by using a factorial experiment in basic of completely randomized design in Ilam University at 2018. Experimental treatments were consisted immersion of fruits in Aloe vera gel 25% and 50%, Arabic gum 5% and 10%, Aoe vera 25%+Arabic gum5%, Aloe vera 25% + Arabic gum10%, Aloe Vera 50%+Arabic gum 5%, Aloe vera 50% + Arabic Gum 10% and control, which their effects on the characteristics of green bell pepper was investigated during 14 and 28 days of storage at 10 C and RH 90%. Results and Discussion: The results showed that with increasing the storage period, the quality and marketability of pepper fruits decreased, but the experimental treatments maintained the quality and marketability of green bell pepper in storage. In this study, Arabic gum10%, Aloe vera 25% + Arabic gum 10% and Aloe vera 50% + Arabic gum 10% treatments in most of the studied characteristics were more effective in maintaining the quality of green bell peppers in storage. These treatments showed less weight loss and ion leakage compared to other treatments and maintained marketability, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, total phenol, total antioxidant capacity, total chlorophyll and activity of catalase and peroxidase enzymes during 28 days of storage. It is likely that a thicker layer and fewer exchanges of atmosphere surrounding the fruit would be due to the greater efficiency of 10% Arabic gum in these treatments than other treatments. Therefore, according to this results the use of Arabic gum 10% or in combination with Aloe vera gel 25 and 50% are recommended as a method for reducing losses and maintaining the quality and marketability of green bell peppers during the storing and marketing.

Production and quality of habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq.) with chemical and organic fertilization

Objective: To compare the effect of earthworm humus (vermicompost) withrespect to that of a standard fertilization treatment with conventional chemicals onthe yield and fruit quality in the cultivation of habanero pepper (Capsicumchinense).Design / methodology / approach: The experimental design was of randomizedblocks with seven replicates. The treatments consisted of 100% worm humus, 50%worm humus + 50% soil combination, as well as soil with chemical fertilizers as acontrol. The number of fruits, the quality of the fruits (length, diameter, and weight)of three cuts (harvests), in addition to the yield per plant, were evaluated. The datawere analyzed with an analysis of variance and when statistical differences weredetected, a means comparison was performed with the Tukey test (P>0.05). 2Results: The 100% vermicompost treatment did not significantly reduce the heightand diameter of the plant stem. Regard yield, a 15% increase was observed,although it was not significant compared to the control. Likewise, the quality of thefruits did not decrease.Study limitations / implications: The combination of 50% vermicompost and soilor less could affect the development and yield of habanero pepper crops.Findings / conclusions: Supplying earthworm humus does not affect the yield orquality of habanero pepper fruits, which is an alternative for nutrients supply at lowcost which is also an environmentally friendly practice.

Preparation of polylactic acid/TiO2/GO nano-fibrous films and their preservation effect on green peppers

Polylactic acid (PLA)/nano-TiO2(TiO2 NPs)/Graphene oxide (GO) nano-fibrous films were prepared by ultrasonic assisted electrostatic spinning technology, and the effects of TiO2 NPs:GO mass ratio and ultrasonic power on film morphology and mechanical, thermal, barrier and antibacterial properties were investigated. The addition of TiO2 NPs and GO can significantly increase the tensile strength and elongation at the break of PLA nano-fibrous films, and improve the water barrier properties of the nano-fibrous films. The antibacterial experiment showed that the inhibition rates of the nano-fibrous films against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus after 24 h exposure to UV irradiation reached 94.4 ± 1.8% and 92.6 ± 1.7% At the same time, the fresh-keeping packaging experiment of green peppers at room temperature, through the determination of hardness, soluble solids, chlorophyll content to determine the degree of decay of green pepper, it showed that PLA/TiO2 NPs/GO nano-fibrous films can better maintain the sensory quality of green peppers, delay the rate of spoilage of green peppers, and prolong the preservation period of green peppers.

Energy and Quality Aspects of Freeze-Drying Preceded by Traditional and Novel Pre-Treatment Methods as Exemplified by Red Bell Pepper

Freeze-drying is one of the most expensive and most energy intensive processes applied in food technology. Therefore, there have been significant efforts to reduce the freeze-drying time and decrease its energy consumption. The aim of this work was to analyze the effect of pulsed electric field (PEF), ultrasound (US), and hybrid treatment (PEF-US) and compare them with the effect of blanching (BL) on the freeze-drying kinetics, energy consumption, greenhouse gasses emission, and physical quality of the product. The freeze-drying process was applied to red bell peppers after pretreatment operations. Results showed that application of BL, PEF, US, or PEF-US reduces freeze-drying time and decreases energy consumption. Among the tested methods, the combination of PEF performed at 1 kJ/kg and US was the most effective in reduction of greenhouse gas emission. BL samples exhibited the highest porosity, but from a statistical point of view, most of the PEF-US treated materials did not differ from it. The smallest color changes were noted for US pre-treated bell peppers (ΔE = 9.4), whereas BL, PEF, and PEF-US material was characterized by ΔE of 15.2–28.5. Performed research indicates the application of pre-treatment may improve the sustainability of freeze-drying process and quality of freeze-dried bell pepper.

The Quality of Red Bell Pepper Subjected to Freeze-Drying Preceded by Traditional and Novel Pretreatment.

It has been demonstrated previously in the literature that utilization of PEF or a combination of a pulsed electric field (PEF) and ultrasounds (US) can facilitate dehydration processes and improve the quality of dried products even better than the application of thermal methods such as blanching. The aim of the study was to evaluate the quality of red bell pepper subjected to freeze-drying preceded by blanching or PEF or US treatment applied in a single and combined mode. Furthermore, the freeze-drying was preceded by shock freezing or vacuum freezing performed inside the freeze-dryer as a result of pressure drop during the first stage of freeze-drying. All of the analyzed technological variants enhanced the drying kinetics when compared to the intact material. Freeze-dried bell pepper subjected to non-thermal pretreatment exhibited higher vitamin C, total phenolic and carotenoids content than blanched material despite the fact that blanching reduced drying time the most compared to all other analyzed methods.

Integration of mRNA and miRNA profiling reveals the heterosis of three hybrid combinations of Capsicum annuum varieties

ABSTRACT Capsicum annuum is also known as chili which is one of the most important vegetable crops grown in the world. Breeding new varieties with heterosis could improve the quality of pepper, increase yield, growth potential, disease resistance, adaptability, and seed viability. To investigate the heterosis among three cross combinations of different parents, the mRNA-miRNA integrated analysis was performed. A total number of 22,659,009 to 36,423,818 clean data were generated from mRNA-seq with 81 libraries, and the unique mapped reads were from 35,495,567 (86.81%) to 46,466,622 (88.95%). The plant-hormone signal transduction pathway (40 genes) was detected with a higher DEG number. The SAUR32L, GID1, PYR1, EIN2. ERF1, PR1, JAR1-like, IAA from this pathway play a key role in plant development. From the miRNA-seq, the number of clean reads was ranging from 12,132,221 to 25,632,680. A total of 220 miRNAs were predicted in this study, and all of them were identified as novel miRNA. The top three candidate KEGG pathways of miRNA were ribosome signaling pathway (13 miRNAs), spliceosome pathway (13 miRNAs), and plant hormone signal transduction pathways (10 miRNAs). With the mRNA and miRNA integrated analysis, we found some key genes were regulated by some miRNAs. Among them, the scarecrow-like 6 protein can be up or down regulated by mir8, mir120, mir184, mir_214, mir125, and mir130. The function of Della protein was regulated by mir24, mir74, mir94, mir139, and mir190. This study contributes to understanding how heterosis regulates the traits, such as crop production, fruit weight, and fruit length.

Pre- and postharvest factors affecting quality and safety of Pepper ( Piper nigrum L.)

Abstract The quality and safety of pepper ( Piper nigrum L.) are a function of crop management practices, harvest maturity, harvesting methods and subsequent handling after harvest, including storage conditions and processing methods. The review shows that volatile oil decreases with shade intensity (15–30%). Essential oil, oleoresin, piperine and monoterpenes (thujene, α-pinene, sabinene, limonene, α-phellandrene and linalool) increase with altitude, while β-caryophyllene and total phenol decrease with increase in altitude. Fermentation of ripe pepper fruits forms odorants (butanoic acid, 3-methylindole, and 4-methylphenol) attributing intense faecal/shed-like off-flavour white pepper powder. Low-drying temperature (≤56°C) and duration (≤3 hrs) lead to low bulk density (0.17 g/ml) and low moisture loss (31%). Excessive soaking of black peppercorns prior to mechanical decortication reduces volatile oil and increases moisture content and broken berries. Availability of heavy metals in grinding machines increases the level of heavy metals; Fe (69.8–1147 mg/kg), Pb (21.3–947 μg/kg) and V (64.1–1072 μg/kg) in pepper powder. Storing peppercorns along with other materials enhances cross-contamination of heavy metals; Pb, Cd and Cr. High moisture content (>13%) and farmers’ unawareness resulted in high (2200 to >30000 cfu/g) mycotoxins contamination. Environmental and industrial pollutants such as plasticizers, bisphenol A, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and pesticides are also pepper contaminants of high merit. Radiofrequency pasteurization, vacuum-assisted steaming, ethylene oxide fumigation, atmospheric pressure plasma, dry heat sterilization, gamma-irradiation and ultraviolet-C light treatments are among strategies to enhance the quality and safety of pepper. More precautions also have to be taken to regulate the shade, drying temperature and duration, soaking duration, hygienic processing and storage in order to retain quality, minimize the risk of microbial or chemical contaminations and comply with standards.

Effect of Blanching Time and Drying Method on Quality of Black Pepper (Piper nigrum)

Quality of black pepper highly depends on pre-drying treatment and drying method. A pre-drying treatment, blanching (dipping in boiled water), is practiced in different countries. However, Bangladesh is yet to follow this technique to produce black pepper. So, this study investigated the effect of blanching, blanching time, and drying method on¬¬¬ black pepper quality. Pepper berries were treated in boiled water (blanched) for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 minutes and kept fresh (untreated). Both treated and untreated pepper berries were dried under the open sun and in a mechanical dryer. Results showed that blanching time negatively correlated with drying duration for both mechanical and sun-drying method. Blanching limited the moisture content of dried pepper 5.33-11.52%, where the moisture content of untreated sun-dried black pepper was more than 12%. Mechanical dryer needed the lowest time over open sun-drying and decreased the moisture % to a safer level (<10%). The moderately blanched (1-3 min) black pepper was attracted by the consumers due to its uniform shiny black color. In contrast, untreated pepper could not meet the consumers' desire. Again, blanching for longer time deteriorated black peppers’ color and consequently decreased consumers' preference level to buy.

Studying the Influence of Storage Conditions, 1-MCP, and Packaging Films on Quality of Sweet Dalilah Green and Red Stage Peppers (Capsicum annuum L.)

Peppers are a popular fresh market commodity but have a limited shelf life. The present study evaluated the effects of storage time, packaging films, and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on weight loss, firmness, respiration rate, ethylene production, ascorbic acid, antioxidant activity, and bioactive compounds of Sweet Delilah (Capsicum annuum). Four packaging films were tested in this study: polypropylene (P12F), laminated polynylon (30 NV), coextruded vacuum pouch (30 NVC), and polyethylene (P15G). Collectively, packaged peppers showed less weight loss than the control. When stored at the red stage, the firmness loss was 13 % in peppers that were treated with 1-MCP compared to 25% loss in the control samples. The most significant reduction in respiration rate in the red stage peppers was 0.88 ml kg-1 h-1 when packaged with 30NVC and 0.91 ml kg-1 h-1 when packaged with P15G, compared to 1.22 ml kg-1 h-1 for the control. The ranges of total phenolic and total flavonoid compounds were 3782 and 5090, respectively, in the green stage and 519 and 647 µg/g, respectively, in the green and red stages. When Sweet Delilah peppers that were treated with 1-MCP maintained higher levels of phenolic and flavonoid compounds than the control samples. Overall, the largest phenolic and flavonoid losses occurred from the control samples, while the smallest phenolic and flavonoid losses occurred from the packaged peppers. The highest ABTS activity was 150 µmol TE/g when packaged with P12G film, whereas the lowest ABTS activity was 143 µmol TE/g in the control samples in the red stage. Peppers packaged with 30NVC films retained higher ascorbic acid levels than peppers that were packaged with other films and the control samples. Keywords: Peppers, Phenolics, Flavonoids, Ascorbic acid, Antioxidant activity, Packaging.

Planting density and yield of sweet pepper grown in an organic system

Abstract The objective of this work was to evaluate the yield and fruit quality of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum) genotypes grown at various planting densities, in an organic production system under protected cultivation. The experiment was carried out in duplicate, to compare the yield and fruit quality of the 'TE 300', 'Mallorca', and ‘Timor’ sweet pepper genotypes, at the densities of 2, 4, 6, and 8 plants m-2. A randomized complete block design was used, with three replicates, in split plots. Mean fruit size and mass, yield per plant, and total yield were measured. Dunnett’s test was used to compare means between the standard density of 2 plants m-2 and the other densities. Scott-Knott’s test was used to compare the densities within each genotype. The increase of planting density in the organic production system provided a yield similar to that of the conventional system. A greater density increases yield and reduces the production cycle, without impairing the fruit size or quality of the ‘TE 300’ and ‘Timor’ genotypes. The densities of 8 plants m-2 for ‘TE 300’ and 'Timor', and of 6 plants m-2 for ‘Mallorca’ show the highest total yield per hectare.

Maturation and Resting of Sweet Pepper Fruits on Physiological Quality and Biochemical Response of Seeds

HIGHLIGHTS Completely yellow sweet pepper fruits have higher physiological seed quality. Enzymatic activity is an indicator of physiological quality of sweet pepper seed. Post-harvest resting affects the quality of sweet pepper seeds.

Pepper Crop Improvement Against Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV): A Review.

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is a prevalent virus affecting the quality and yield of pepper, resulting in yield losses of greater than 80% during severe local epidemics. Cultural practices and the heavy use of agrochemicals are the most common control measures for CMV. Sources of resistance provide a practical reference and a basis for breeding for CMV resistance. Genetic factors underlying CMV resistance have been studied and advanced breeding lines and cultivars with improved resistance have been developed by traditional breeding methods. Additionally, QTLs or genes for CMV resistance have been identified and can be utilized for marker-assisted resistance breeding. This review focuses on status and prospect of CMV against different virus strains, host resistance, and its applied genetics. With the advent of novel technologies, more useful markers and precise approaches can facilitate the progress for improving CMV resistance in Capsicum.

THE EFFECT OF POLYPROPYLENE THICKNESS AND TEMPERATURE ON THE QUALITY OF CAYENNE PEPPER DURING STORAGE

This study aims to determine the effect of different combinations of plastic thickness and temperature treatment combinations on the quality of cayenne pepper during storage, to determine the combination of plastic thickness and the right temperature to maintain the quality of cayenne pepper during storage. This study used a completely randomized design (CRD) with 9 treatments. The treatments tried in this study were thickness and temperature, namely Polypropylene 0.3 mm + tissue at 5°C, Polypropylene 0.3 mm + tissue at 10°C, Polypropylene 0.3 mm + tissue at 15°C, Polypropylene 0.4 mm + tissue at 5°C, Polypropylene 0.4 mm + tissue at 10°C, Polypropylene 0.4 mm + tissue at 15°C, Polypropylene 0.5 mm + tissue at 5°C, Polypropylene 0.5 mm + tissue at 10°C, Polypropylene 0.5 mm + tissue at 15°C. The treatment was repeated 3 times so that there were 27 experimental units. The results that showed the combination treatment of packaging thickness and temperature had a very significant effect on the storage quality of cayenne pepper on weight loss, vitamin C, texture, moisture content, and color, but had no significant effect on the color of the 8th day of the watershed. The combination treatment of plastic packaging thickness of 0.5 mm and temperature of 5°C can give the best effect on texture, vitamin C, moisture content, weight loss, and color, but at a thickness of 0.3 mm plastic and a temperature of 15°C does not give the best results on color 8th day.

Development of Black Pepper Rotary Drum Dryer System

Rotary drum dryer has been identified as hygienic and practical method to dry black pepper. The quality of black pepper is defined based on the chemical properties and moisture content. This research aims to develop a control system for black pepper rotary drum dryer. The dried pepper should meet the specific 12% moisture content while the heating temperature must be kept below 550C. The requirement of 12% moisture content is equivalent to 30% of the remaining weight of the pepper (final weight). The developed system uses Arduino Mega 2560 REV board as a microcontroller. A type K thermocouple with MAX6675 thermocouple amplifier and S-type load cells (TAS501) with HX711 load cell amplifier are used as input sensor to microcontroller. The system keeps measuring the current weight until it hit the targeted final weight. Two set of experiments that are using 500 g and 1500 g of pre-treated pepper were conducted to verify the system. As a result, the dryer was successful to work within the desired temperature and it stop operating just after the samples reached 12% of the moisture content. The finding has proven a shorten of drying time from 4 to 7 days when using the traditional method to the current 3 – 5 hours only when using the developed system. Hence, this is an improved method achieved to a quick drying of the black pepper.

Effects of Low Air Temperature and Low Radiation Conditions on Yield and Quality of Hot Pepper at the Early Growth Stage

Effects of Low Air Temperature and Low Radiation Conditions on Yield and Quality of Hot Pepper at the Early Growth Stage

Influence of Poultry Manure on Growth and Fruit Yield of Selected Pepper Species and Their Qualities after Storage in Various Structures

The production of pepper is low due to decrease in fertility of soil and inadequate storage structures. The study was aimed at evaluating the growth, yield and storage qualities of selected pepper varieties as influenced by poultry manure and storage structures in Ibadan, Nigeria. A field experiment was carried out at Department of Agronomy, University of Ibadan between November, 2017 and April, 2018 growing season. Two varieties of pepper (Capsicum annum and Capsicum frutescens) were used, with four treatments consisting of different rates of poultry manure. Controls of 0 g of poultry manure (T1), 12.5 g (T2), 25 g (T3) and 37.5 g (T4) were laid out in a complete randomised design and replicated four times. Storage experiment was carried out in the Department and at Nigeria Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), Ibadan in June, 2018. The storage experiment comprised of four treatments with ambient condition (open shelf), wet basket, Evaporative Coolant Structure (ECS/Pot-in-pot), and plastic crates used as storage structures, laid out in a completely randomised design and replicated three times. The physical parameters obtained in days in storage (DIS) included weight loss (%), firmness, freshness, among others. Data observed were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and means separated using least significant difference (LSD) at p>0.05. The result obtained showed that pepper growth was enhanced using Capsicum frutescens under 25 g poultry manure application rate which resulted to superior pepper yield. The combination of pot-in-pot with sawdust as storage structures enhanced the storage qualities of pepper fruits within the two weeks of storage. Although, the different manure treatments had no significant effect on the postharvest quality of pepper, the ECS can be effectively used in the storage of pepper fruits in order to improve postharvest quality, extend shelf life and enhance affordability of the commodity at all seasons.

Effect of active chitosan-pullulan composite edible coating enrich with pomegranate peel extract on the storage quality of green bell pepper

The present study was carried out to investigate the influence of chitosan-pullulan (50:50) composite edible coating enrich with pomegranate peel extract on quality and storage life of green bell pepper at room (23 ± 3 °C, RH: 40–45%) and cold (4 ± 3 °C, RH: 90–95%) temperatures for 18 days. Physiochemical characteristics as well as the quality of the bell peppers were improved by coating treatment at both the storage temperatures. Results revealed that chitosan-pullulan (50:50) composite edible coating exhibited significantly reduced physiological loss in weight & color browning, maintained total soluble solids, titratable acidity and pH. The treatment also helps to maintain phenolic content, flavonoid content, antioxidant activity, firmness, and sensorial attributes of bell pepper over the storage period. The sensory scores (freshness, color, taste, hardness) were recorded higher in treated bell-pepper during the storage period at both storage temperatures. Therefore, results of the present study suggested that composite coating of green bell pepper with chitosan-pullulan (50:50) enrich with pomegranate peel extract can maintain postharvest storage quality of bell pepper at room and cold storage temperature during storage.