Infuence of processing and storage conditions on physicochemical properties of chili powder and roasted chili powder

Abstract

Development of chili powder products through consumer survey to be used as the information for the development of high quality chili powder. The quality and physicochemical properties of chili powder during storage were investigated. The sound and red pods of fresh chili were washed and blanched at 100ºC for 3 min. Blanched chili pods were soaked in 0.25% sodium metabisulfite with 1.0% citric acid for 30 min prior to drying in a tray dryer at 65°C for 14 h to obtain dried chili with a final moisture content of approximately 8%. Dried chili pods without stem were ground to obtain chili powder. Roasting before grinding resulted in the reduction of moisture, aw and color values. The results of study on the quality changes of chili powder during storage showed that storage temperature was the important factor affecting the changes in physicochemical properties and percentage of consumer acceptance. Meanwhile, aluminum foil packaging slowed the increase of aflatoxin content in chili powder better than polypropylene. However, aerobic bacterial count of the developed chili powder product is very low compared to the microbiological specifications while yeast and mold were not detected. The product contains a standard level of aflatoxin content after 12 weeks in all storage conditions which corresponds to the awareness of consumers in terms of quality, cleanliness and safety are important factors in deciding to buy chili products.