The Vacuum and Light-Avoided Packaging Ameliorate the Decline in Quality of Whole Chili during Storage

Abstract

Vacuum packaging is a superior procedure that could maintain the quality of dried red peppers for a relatively longer period, while the effect of light avoidance was inconsistent. Therefore, this study was to evaluate the effect of vacuum in combination with light avoidance on the storage quality of peppers and to investigate vacuum packaging and vacuum and light-avoided packaging influence the quality characteristics of dried chili peppers during storage. The results indicated that the quality characteristics of peppers gradually deteriorated: redness, extractable color, capsanthin, capsaicinoids, pungency, total phenolic content, and antioxidant capacity decreased, whereas moisture, water activity, and browning index increased as storage progressed. Vacuum packaging inhibited these changes compared with the control. Vacuum and light-avoided packaging further decelerated the quality loss of dried peppers, with the minimum changes in color, pungency, and antioxidant capacity of dried peppers during storage, and these could be due to lower water activity by light avoidance. Therefore, light avoidance may be necessary to further delay the deterioration of dried peppers under vacuum, and vacuum and light-avoided packaging could better retain the quality of dried chili peppers.

Effect of packaging materials and storage duration on the functional quality of red hot peppers (Capsicum annum L.) pods

“…Pungent compounds have antioxidant effects and pungent cultivars have greater stability during storage than nonpungent cultivars [ 67 ]. Compared to other antioxidant compounds of red pepper, such as phenolic compounds, total carotenoids and vitamin c capsaicinoids have the greatest stability to degradation by oxygen, light, temperature, moisture, and other factors during storage [ 68 ].…”

“…[ 60 ] also showed greater loss of capsaicinoid in jute bags at a temperature of 30 °C compared to FLS bags after 5 months. Additionally, pungency compounds in vacuum packed samples remained stable for the first two to three months, but decreased after six months of storage [ 52 , 68 ].…”