Ozone seems to be a feasible solution for reducing quality loss during the storage of both red and green chilli peppers

In recent years, the interest in the use of ozone as a postharvest treatment of fruit and vegetables has increased. There is, however, only limited information available in the literature, on the effects of ozone treatment on the postharvest quality of chilli peppers.?The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of continuous exposure to ozone at 0.45, 0.9 and 2 ppm on quality changes of red chilli peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) variety Serenade and green chilli peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) variety Jalapeno stored at 10?C.?Microbial counts were found to be reduced on red chilli peppers at all tested doses, while in the case of green chilli peppers -where the main issue was related to water loss and shrivelling- rots were seldom observed.?The optimum treatment, i.e. exposure to ozone at 0.9 ppm led to reduced weight loss and improved texture maintenance in red chilli peppers, while total phenolic content and antioxidant activity were not affected.?In green chilli peppers, exposure to ozone at 0.9 ppm also reduced weight loss by more than 30% and improved texture maintenance; furthermore, shrivelling was significantly reduced. The application of ozone at 0.9 ppm seems to be a feasible solution for reducing quality loss during the storage of both red and green chilli peppers.SourcesThe use of ozone to improve storability of chilli peppersMarcin Glowacz1, Deborah Rees21Food and Markets Department, University of Greenwich, Medway Campus, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, ME4 4TB, Kent, United Kingdom2Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, London, United KingdomVIII International Postharvest Symposium, Cartagena, Spain, 21-24 June 2016Pictures1 - Serenade, by http://www.anishamistry.co.uk/how-hot-is-the-pepper/ 2 - Ozone generator for cool chambers by?Cosemar Ozono