Standardization of process parameters for microwave assisted convective drying of bell pepper
Research Type
Departmental Research
Experiment Background
Bell pepper is a non-pungent variety of pepper (Capsicum annuumL.) belonging to the solanaceous family. Health-promoting, nutritional, and sensory attributes make the bellpepper one of the most consumed vegetables. It is an important cash crop in India and the world’s second most important solanaceous vegetable after tomato, also known as bell pepper and locally as ‘shimlamirch’. Apart from being used as a vegetable, peppers are extensively utilized as a colouring agent by the food and cosmetics industries. The visual appearance of food, i.e., colour, is an important attribute, which is the first impact made by a consumer at the point of sale. The colourof green bell pepper is due to chlorophyll and for yellow bell pepper is controlled by β-carotene and zeaxanthin as these are food pigments. However, excessive heating during thermal processing produces considerable losses in the quality and particularly in the organoleptic properties of foods. The visual appearance of food, i.e., colour, is an important attribute, which is the first impact made by a consumer at the point of sale. Bell peppers are perishable in nature and deteriorate within a few days after harvest especially in rainy season and these losses are further enhanced due to storage problems, marketing and lack of appropriate processing technologies (Kaushal et al. 2011). Thus, to minimize the losses and to provide remunerative returns to the growers, processing and preservation of bell pepper is the only alternative.
The reason for drying of green pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), just as many other vegetables, is its easy perishability and relatively quick decay, which cause significant losses of this products during storage. In order to avoid loss of many valuable nutrients and vitamins, different hybrid drying methods have been developed to preserve these ingredients and to protect them against destruction. Dried pepper has many applications. It is a rich source of valuable nutrients, such as ascorbic acid, carotenoids and provitamin A, the content of which depends on the variety and maturity of pepper. Bell pepper is also a source of minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium and iron. Dried pepper is mainly used as a spice, powder compound for soups and sauces and as a natural colorant and flavor for culinary purposes.
The aim of the present studies was to develop the optimal hybrid drying technique suitable for green pepper from the perspective of quality and kinetics as well as energy consumption. Hence the present study is undertaken to standardize a process technology for preparation of dehydrated green bell pepper by with microwave assisted convective drying (MWAD) the following objectives.
Experiment Group
Agricultural Engineering
Unit Type
(02)EDUCATION UNIT
Unit
(13)ASPEE COLLEGE OF HORTICULTURE (NAVSARI)
Department
(218)Post Harvest Technology,ACHF, Navsari
BudgetHead
(329/12935/00)329/01/REG/00285
Objective
1. To optimize different microwave power and convection temperature on drying kinetics of green bell pepper
2. To evaluate quality characteristics of the microwave assisted convective dried product
3. To work out the economics of different treatments.