Secagem de pimenta dedo-de-moça (Capsicum baccatum var. pendulum) em secador convectivo horizontal

Abstract

The cultivation of pepper is widespread in Brazil since its colonization. This plant, besides being much appreciated in the cuisine has proven pharmacological effects such as lowering cholesterol, inhibiting appetite and the presence of antioxidants such as ascorbic acid and beta-carotene. It is a product whose demand increases every year, but generally still produced handmade diminish the ability of producers to meet the needs of commerce. To contribute to improving the production of pepper dedo-de-moça, it was the behavior of this plant in analyzing the influence of drying process on the nutritional composition and physical qualities of the dried product. For this, drying kinetics were obtained and certain structural properties (apparent density, real density and porosity) as a function of moisture content during drying. Assessing the quality of the final product was performed by quantification of ascorbic acid and study of rehydration. The convective drying and freeze-drying was compared with respect to product quality parameters such as shrinkage, structural properties, vitamin C retention and rehydration characteristics. To describe the kinetics of drying and rehydration were used empirical and semiempirical equations. The characterization of the rehydration process was carried out from the indices that take account of the capacity of water absorption and loss of solutes. The use of seed from the drying of peppers to obtain seedlings was studied by checking the germination through standardized tests. The samples of convective drying at 60 ºC had the best results in terms of nutritional quality, rehydration characteristics and structural properties, comparing with those obtained from freezedrying. In assessing the use of seeds of peppers after processing to obtain new seedlings, the most suitable temperature was 40 oC to cause less damage to germination.