Abstract:
Bell pepper (Capsicum annum) is an annual herbaceous vegetable crop which belongs to
the family solanaceae which is rich in vitamins, especially A and C, and low in
calories.Capsicum annumis increasingly being packed in polyethylene (PE) bags in
Nigeria for storage and sales. It is probably assumed that packaging increases the shelf life
of pepper. This study investigated the effect of the microenvironment in PE package on
the quality of pepper.Freshly harvested ripe peppers were packaged in PE of various
thickness 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, 20.0 and 40.0 μm and stored at 26 oC while a set was left in
aluminium foil in an aerated cage. The incidence of pepper fruit decay was determined;
also contents of Vitamin C, β-carotene, alcohol and aldehydes in the peppers were
determined during storage. Carbondioxide content was also estimated in the PE packages.
Fungi species isolated from the rotten Capsicum annum were Aspergillusniger,
Geotrichumcandidum and Fusarium oxsyporum. Fruits without packaging had less decay
incidence. The result showed that at 26oC and 91% relative humidity, the shelf life of bell
pepper sealed in polyethylene package varied with the thickness of PE. The thickest
polyethylene (40μm) protected the fruits from decaying better than the thinner PE
(2.5μm) within four days. There was no significant difference in incidence of decay
among fruits in 2.5, 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0μm PE. The amount of Vitamin C and β-Carotene
decreased with storage while the amount of ethanol and acetaldehyde increased as a result
of the hypoxic environment in the packages.The CO2 in the packages was initially more
than the control although there was no consistent trend in the increase with increasing
thickness of polyethylene.
