Physicochemical and Microbiological Qualities of Steamed and Irradiated Ground Black Pepper (Piper nigrum L.)

Abstract

The effects of steam and irradiation treatments on the physicochemical properties (moisture content, pH, extractable yield, reducing sugar, soluble pigment, antioxidant activity, piperine, Hunter's color, and sensory attributes) and microbiological quality (total aerobic bacteria, coliforms, and yeasts and molds) of ground black pepper stored at refrigerated and room temperatures for 6 months were compared and evaluated. Irradiation resulted in a higher microbial reduction in pepper, with minimal effects on the proximate composition, functional components, color, and sensory attributes of the spice. Steamed peppers appeared darker, and a considerable decrease in the piperine content was observed after treatment and storage. This study illustrates that irradiation is a better decontamination method than steam treatment in eliminating microorganisms without apparently affecting the quality of the powdered spice. Storage at 4 degrees C enhanced the microbial quality and minimized the loss of piperine content in ground black peppers.

Microbial Reduction and Quality Changes in Powdered White and Black Pepper by Treatment with Compressed Oxygen or Carbon Dioxide Gas

“…Treatment of black pepper with compressed oxygen or carbon dioxide at 100℃ for 40 min reduced bacterial counts to 2.0 and 2.9 log CFU/g, respectively, below the 3 log CFU/g target in the present study. Compared to other studies on decontamination of black pepper with approximately the same initial bacterial load, pressurization with carbon dioxide at 100℃ for 50 min produced microbial inactivation similar to irradiation with gamma rays at 10 kGy, and the impact of gas pressurization at 100℃ for 30 min was greater than liquid pressure treatment with 1000 MPa at 100℃ for 30 min (Skapska et al, 2003;Waje et al, 2008). Bacterial inactivation in white and black pepper was impacted by treatment 6,Hexane;7,8,9,10,11,Camphene;12,Sabinene;13,14,Phellandrene;15,16,17,18,Limonene;19,20,21,Linalool;22,23,24,25,Copaene;26,27,28,29,30, β-Selinene.…”

“…Following physical pressurization of 1000 MPa at 100℃ for 30 min, approximately 80% of the initial piperine remained in black pepper (Skapska et al, 2003). Gamma irradiation at 10 kGy decreased the piperine content of black pepper by approximately 10% (Waje et al, 2008).…”

“…Microbiological analysis In studies of the development of microbial inactivation methods for spices, the total mesophilic aerobic bacterial count is often used as a representative index to evaluate the degree of inactivation (Emam et al, 1995;Zhao and Cranston, 1995;Almela et al, 2002;Skapska et al, 2003;Lilie et al, 2007;Waje et al, 2008;Calvo and Torres, 2010). piperettine and pyrroperine, which may be present in pepper also absorb at 343 nm (Mori et al, 1974;AOAC, 2006), the spectrophotometric method is simple to perform and has been used in various studies (Chacko et al, 1996;Skapska et al, 2003).…”

“…spices (Emam et al, 1995;Schweiggert et al, 2007;Waje et al, 2008). Irradiation with electron beams and gamma rays (≤ 10 kGy) was effective in reducing the microbial population without affecting the color or flavor of spices, leading to the legal acceptance of irradiation in many countries (Hayashi et al, 1993;Schweiggert et al, 2007;Waje et al, 2008).…”

“…Irradiation with electron beams and gamma rays (≤ 10 kGy) was effective in reducing the microbial population without affecting the color or flavor of spices, leading to the legal acceptance of irradiation in many countries (Hayashi et al, 1993;Schweiggert et al, 2007;Waje et al, 2008). Nevertheless, some consumers have reacted negatively to the use of irradiation for food.…”