NONENZYMATIC BROWNING IN DRIED RED PEPPER PRODUCTS

The nonenzymatic browning of dried red peppers was studied under various water activities, storage temperatures, and packaging atmospheres. Whole pepper and pepper powders-coarse and fine, with and without seeds-were compared. The browning can be described by the zero order reaction, and the rate constant is strongly affected by water activity and temperature. Flushing the package with nitrogen did not have a significant effect on the browning rate. For minimum browning, the peppers should be stored at water activities below 0.3 and in the form of whole pods or coarse powder with seeds.