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. 2023 Jun 23;12(13):2468.
doi: 10.3390/foods12132468.

Influence of Ultrasonic and Chemical Pretreatments on Quality Attributes of Dried Pepper (Capsicum annuum)

Milica Lučić  1 , Nebojša Potkonjak  2 , Ivana Sredović Ignjatović  3 , Steva Lević  3 , Zora Dajić-Stevanović  3 , Stefan Kolašinac  3 , Miona Belović  4 , Aleksandra Torbica  4 , Ivan Zlatanović  5 , Vladimir Pavlović  3 , Antonije Onjia  6
Affiliations

Influence of Ultrasonic and Chemical Pretreatments on Quality Attributes of Dried Pepper (Capsicum annuum)

Milica Lučić et al. Foods. .

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of ultrasound, in combination with chemical pretreatments, on the quality attributes (total phenolic and carotenoid content, antioxidant activity (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay (DPPH)), ferric-reducing ability (FRAP), CIE L* a* b* color, non-enzymatic browning, rehydration ratio, textural and morphological properties) of red pepper subjected to drying (hot air drying or freeze drying). The fractional factorial design was used to assess the impact of factors. The global Derringer desirability function was used to determine the optimal conditions for the best quality attributes of dried pepper. The drying method influenced total phenolic content, a* (redness), and initial rehydration ratio; pretreatment time significantly affected FRAP antiradical activity, a*, chroma and non-browning index, while pH-value had a significant effect on the texture of dried pepper. Non-enzymatic browning was reduced to 72.6%, while the DPPH antioxidant capacity of freeze-dried peppers was enhanced from 4.2% to 71.9%. Ultrasonic pretreatment led to changes in the pepper morphology, while potassium metabisulfite (KMS) was a more effective additive than citric acid.

Keywords: Derringer desirability function; antioxidant activity; citric acid; color; drying; factorial design; food quality; metabisulfite; ultrasound.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Rehydration ratio of pepper samples, freeze-dried: 1, 10, 13 and hot air-dried: 2, 4, 14 from FFD (Table S1); X1a—hot air-dried control without pretreatment; X1b—freeze-dried control without pretreatment.
Figure 2
Figure 2
SEM micrographs of the dried sweet pepper: (A1)—outer and (A2)—the inner surface of HD sample without pretreatment; (B1)—outer and (B2)—the inner surface of FD sample without pretreatment; (C1)—outer and (C2)—the inner surface of sample 2 from FFD; (D1)—outer and (D2)—the inner surface of sample 4 from FFD; (E1)—outer and (E2)—the inner surface of sample 14 from FFD; (F1)—outer and (F2)—the inner surface of sample 6 from FFD; (G1)—outer and (G2)—the inner surface of sample 11 from FFD; (H1)—outer and (H2)—the inner surface of sample 16 from FFD. Arrows indicate cracks formed during drying.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Pareto chart and Main effects plot obtained for overall desirability. (a) Pareto chart showing the standardized effect of independent variables and their interactions on overall desirability. (b) Main effects plot showing the effect of independent variables. Twelve responses get combined in one desirability function.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Interaction plot showing the effect of variable’s interactions obtained for overall desirability. Twelve responses get combined in one desirability function.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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