A novel approach for color degradation kinetics of paprika as a function of water activity

Effects of packaging and temperature abuse on the quality of red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) powder

Storage stability of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) powder packaged using 2 different film pouches of Ny/PE and PET/Al/PE inserted with moisture absorbent and oxygen scavenger was investigated during storage at 25 °C for 5 months and at 40 °C for 14 days. The moisture content of red pepper powder did not change significantly in PET/Al/PE packaging but decreased significantly in Ny/PE packaging after the abuse of storage temperature. The color of red pepper powder was quite stable in all packaging treatments. Other quality characteristics of all packaged pepper powder, including microbial cell count, capsaicinoids, ascorbic acid, and free sugar content, were also maintained near their initial levels with no appreciable changes during storage. Red pepper powder with a moisture content of 13-14% and packaged with a film with high gas-barrier properties can be stored for more than 5 months even if there is an unexpected temperature abuse during storage.

Effects of activated earth, activated alumina, and chitosan adsorption processes on thermal and rheological and chemical characteristics of menhaden oil

The objective of this study was the effectiveness of using activated earth, activated alumina, and/or chitosan, either separately or in combination, as adsorbents to remove free fatty acids (FFA) and peroxides from unpurified menhaden oil (MO). Thermal and rheological properties of MO were also evaluated. Five different combinations of absorbents were used to purify MO: Processes 1-3 involved purifications of MO by 5% chitosan (wt/wt of oil), 5% activated earth, and 5% activated alumina, respectively, process 4 involved MO purification with a combination of 6.5% chitosan, 3.5% activated earth, and 5% activated alumina, and process 5 involved MO purification process with a combination of adsorbents of 9% chitosan, 1% activated earth, and 5% activated alumina. All the adsorption processes were conducted at 25°C. Purified MO and MO were evaluated for their fatty acid profile, FFA, peroxide value (PV), moisture content (MC), minerals, and color. Triplicate experiments were conducted, and data were statistically analyzed using α = 0.05. Processes 4 and 5 were effective in reducing PV, FFA, and MC in MO. Thermal properties indicated processes 4 and 5 produced purer MO than processes 1-3. All the oil samples became less viscous, and the flow behavior index of MO was close to 1 after the adsorption processes. This study demonstrated that adsorption processes that include chitosan, activated earth, and activated alumina could effectively improve MO quality.

Shelf life prediction of dried garlic powder under accelerated storage conditions

The shelf life of dried garlic powder packaged in high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and aluminum laminated pouch (ALP) under accelerated storage temperature (5° to 40 °C) and humidity (70-90% RH) conditions, was predicted using GAB mathematical model. The water activity value reduced significantly from 0.83 to 0.31 as the moisture content reduced. The temperature had a negative effect on color change and the lightness value and whiteness index of garlic powder significantly decreased from 62.21 to 56.06 and 50.67 to 44.91 respectively, when temperature increased from 70° to 90° C. The storage life of garlic powder was 24, 78 and 210 days in LDPE, HDPE, and ALP, respectively under domestic storage conditions (40 °C, 90% RH). Therefore, under industrial storage conditions (5 °C, 70% RH), garlic could be preserved for 1.32, 4.30 and 7.28 years in LDPE, HDPE and ALP, respectively.

The Vacuum and Light-Avoided Packaging Ameliorate the Decline in Quality of Whole Chili during Storage

Vacuum packaging is a superior procedure that could maintain the quality of dried red peppers for a relatively longer period, while the effect of light avoidance was inconsistent. Therefore, this study was to evaluate the effect of vacuum in combination with light avoidance on the storage quality of peppers and to investigate vacuum packaging and vacuum and light-avoided packaging influence the quality characteristics of dried chili peppers during storage. The results indicated that the quality characteristics of peppers gradually deteriorated: redness, extractable color, capsanthin, capsaicinoids, pungency, total phenolic content, and antioxidant capacity decreased, whereas moisture, water activity, and browning index increased as storage progressed. Vacuum packaging inhibited these changes compared with the control. Vacuum and light-avoided packaging further decelerated the quality loss of dried peppers, with the minimum changes in color, pungency, and antioxidant capacity of dried peppers during storage, and these could be due to lower water activity by light avoidance. Therefore, light avoidance may be necessary to further delay the deterioration of dried peppers under vacuum, and vacuum and light-avoided packaging could better retain the quality of dried chili peppers.

Hyperspectral Imaging for Color Adulteration Detection in Red Chili

The quality of red chili is characterized based on its color and pungency. Several factors like humidity, temperature, light, and storage conditions affect the characteristic qualities of red chili, thus preservation required several measures. Instead of ensuring these measures, traders are using oil and Sudan dye in red chili to increase the value of an inferior product. Thus, this work presents the feasibility of utilizing a hyperspectral camera for the detection of oil and Sudan dye in red chili. This study describes the important wavelengths (500–700 nm) where different adulteration affects the response of the reflected spectrum. These wavelengths are then utilized for training an Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm to detect pure, oil-adulterated, and Sudan dye-adulterated red chili. The classification performance achieves 97% with the reduced dimensionality and 100% with complete validation data. The trained algorithm is further tested on separate data with different adulteration levels in comparison to the training data. Results show that the algorithm successfully classifies pure, oil-adulterated, and Sudan-adulterated red chili with an accuracy of 100%.

New insights into red plant pigments: more than just natural colorants

Pigments make nature both colorful and attractive. Humans have always incorporated the natural pigments of fruits, vegetables and spices into their dietary requirements. Naturally occurring red pigments in plants are carotenoids, anthocyanins and betacyanins. Natural pigments, apart from colour, provide added properties and are therefore considered to be bioactive constituents. Red natural colorants are one of the most widely used in the food industry. The interest in these pigments lies in the enhancement of the healthy effects of the diet. In this context, attention is given to carotenoids, anthocyanins and betacyanins, with emphasis on the basic chemical and biochemical attributes and wide-ranging health-promoting benefits of these pigments. Thus, in this review, we systematically present the advantages and limitations of these natural pigments as food colorants in relation to their physico-chemical properties, reactivity and bioactivity.

Modeling sorption phenomena and moisture migration rates in paprika (Capsicum annuum L.) using physicochemical characteristics

In the present study, the GAB and moisture migration rate models were used to predict the shelf life of paprika under domestic (40 °C and 90% RH) and industrial (5, 10, 15 and 20 °C with 70% RH) storage conditions. The correlations between physicochemical characteristics and moisture content of paprika were developed to estimate the stability of the paprika. The estimated shelf life of low moisture paprika (4.40% dry basis) was found to be 101 and 31 days in HDPE and LDPE packages, respectively when stored in domestic condition. In industrial storage condition, the shelf life prediction was 5.47 years in HDPE and 1.68 years in LDPE packages. The first order kinetic models of extractable color (ASTA) and degree of caking described the quality degradation of paprika during storage. The relative humidity and temperature of the storage environment were significant parameters affecting the stability of paprika. The shelf life of paprika can be extended by storage at or below monolayer moisture content and low temperature.

Shelf-life Assessment of Food Undergoing Oxidation-A Review

Oxidation is the most common event leading to the end of shelf life of microbiologically stable foods. Thus, a reliable shelf-life assessment is crucial to verify how long the product will last before it becomes oxidized to an unacceptable level to the consumers. Shelf-life assessment strategies of foods and beverages suffering oxidation are critically discussed focusing on definition of the acceptability limit, as well as the choice of the proper oxidative indicators, and methodologies for shelf-life testing. Testing methodologies for shelf-life determination under actual and accelerated storage conditions are considered, highlighting possible uncertainties, pitfalls, and future research needs.

Moisture content and its impact on aflatoxin levels in ready-to-use red chillies

Moisture content (MC) and aflatoxin contamination were analysed to determine Red Chilli quality. A wide range (9.1-19.8%) of MC with a mean value of 11.4 ± 2.4% was found. Of 116 chilli samples, about 37% had low MC (<10%), 29.4% had medium-low MC (10-12%), 18.9% had medium-high MC (12 < MC < 14%) and 14.7% were above 14%. These four chilli groups had average aflatoxin levels of 2.1 ± 1.1, 5.3 ± 4.2, 8.9 ± 5.9 and 37 ± 20 µg/Kg, respectively. A direct relationship between moisture and aflatoxin content was found. The data best fitted a polynomial trend (R² = 0.89). The obtained equation could be utilised to assess aflatoxin levels based on MC. This study highlights the importance of using properly dried chillies with low MC, that is, ≤10%, to minimise health hazards associated with aflatoxin contamination.

Red pepper (Capsicum annuum) carotenoids as a source of natural food colors: analysis and stability-a review

Carotenoids are increasingly drawing the attention of researchers as a major natural food color due to their inherent nutritional characteristics and the implicated possible role in prevention and protection against degenerative diseases. In this report, we review the role of red pepper as a source for natural carotenoids. The composition of the carotenoids in red pepper and the application of different methodologies for their analysis were discussed in this report. The stability of red pepper carotenoids during post-harvest processing and storage is also reviewed. This review highlights the potential of red pepper carotenoids as a source of natural food colors and also discusses the need for a standardized approach for the analysis and reporting of composition of carotenoids in plant products and designing model systems for stability studies.