Physicochemical and colorimetric properties of green pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) puree

Abstract

Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) puree is an important food ingredient. The packaging material and shelf-life stability of green pepper puree was studied over a period of 27 days in three temperature treatments conditions as room temperature (30±2°C), air condition temperature (20°C) and climatic chamber temperature (4°C). The green pepper puree was prepared in salt and oil in 1 and 5% concentrations pasteurised and stored in plastic and glass containers. The colour changes, pH, Total Soluble Solids (TSS) and Total Titratable Acids (TTA) were considered over the storage period. The addition of 1% salt or 5% oil to the puree caused a marked alteration in pH, TTA and colour parameters (L* a* b*) but not TSS. Over the storage period of 27 days, the pH and TTA differed significantly (p<0.05) among salt and oil purees with the latter having a higher pH and TTA. Storage condition did not influence these two indices but among packaging materials, glass showed (P<0.05) to better stabilize pH compared to the plastic material. TSS was fairly stable among the different packaging materials but was greatly reduced by storing at a higher temperature. At the end of the storage period, 5% oil puree was lighter in colour than 1% salt. Greenness of the purees remained stable over the period while yellowness reduced drastically by the final week of storage. Packaging and storage conditions did not influence colour parameters over the assessment period