Processing & Value Addition
Black pepper
Black pepper of commerce is produced from whole, unripe but fully developed berries.
The harvested berries are piled up in a heap to initiate browning. Then they are
spread on the suitable drying floor after detaching the berries from the stalk by
threshing. During sun drying, berries are raked to ensure uniform colour and to
avoid mould development. Drying the berries for 3-5 days reduces the moisture content
to 10-12 percent. The dried berries are garbled, graded and packed in double lined
gunny bags. Blanching the berries in boiling water for one minute prior to sun drying
accelerates the browning process as well as the rate of drying. It also gives a
uniform lustrous black colour to the finished product and prevents mouldiness of
berries. But prolonged blanching should be avoided since it can deactivate the enzymes
responsible for browning process.
White pepper
White pepper is prepared from ripe berries or by decorticating black pepper. Bright
red berries, after harvest are detached from the stalk and packed in gunny bags.
The bags are allowed to soak in slow running water for about one week during which
bacterial rotting occurs and pericarp gets loosened. Then the berries are trampled
under feet to remove any adhering pericarp, washed in water and then sun dried to
reduce the moisture content to 10-12 per cent and to achieve a cream or white colour.
White pepper is garbled, sorted and packed in gunny bags. Approximately 25 kg white
pepper is obtained from 100 kg ripe berries.
Improved Central Food Technology Research Institute
(CFTRI) method
Fully mature but unripe berries are harvested and boiled in water for 10-15 minutes
to soften the pericarp. After cooling, the skin is rubbed off either mechanically
or manually, washed and sun dried to obtain white pepper. Since no retting operation
is involved, the product will be free from any unpleasant odour. However, white
pepper produced by this method gives pepper powder of light brown colour due to
gelatinisation of starch in contrast to pure white powder obtained by traditional
method.
Value added products
Dehydrated green pepper
Dehydrated green pepper is a premium quality pepper, processed out of farm fresh
green pepper berries into dried form, by air drying, retaining its green colour
and giving out the best flavour. This is par excellent in quality, flavour, colour
etc than black pepper. This value added spice product is based on technology developed
by the CFTRI India.
Processing:
The processing involves collection of farm fresh berries right from the pepper vines
and directly feeding them to the processing plant within 24 hours, before any microbial
action sets in. The product, dehydrated green pepper is a substitute for canned
green pepper. Dehydrated green pepper is easy to store and transport, when soaked
in lukewarm water will regain its fresh green colour and shape. Because of its pleasing
flavour and aroma there is a distinct preference among conscious consumers for green
pepper to black pepper. The processing of dehydrated green pepper is carried on
a seasonal basis, depending on the harvesting period of raw green pepper crop. Usually
the season for raw green pepper cropping starts from October, November and ends
by March, April. Dry recovery comes to 20%.
Uses:
The pungent taste and flavour of dehydrated green pepper is universally liked, in
meat and sausage industries. The packers sell it in small packets as well as in
powder form. Beef and pork steaks become more delicious with a sprinkling of green
ground pepper. Dehydrated green pepper gives attractive colour, flavour and aroma
to all kind of soups.
Green pepper in brine
Major applications of green pepper in brine are in making sauces, meat processing
industries, steak preparations and in the food service sector. The uniform tender
berries that pass the quality control measures are washed and cleaned and put in
to a brine solution. The cleaned berries are stored in 17% ± 2% salt solution
and vinegar around 0.6% ± 2%. This is washed three times in 45 days and each
time changing the brine solutions, so that they are properly matured and then packed
in high density poly ethylene (HDPE) food grade cans or as required.
Freeze dried green pepper
India is one of the very few countries, which produces and supply freeze dried green
peppercorns, wherein even the natural form of the green peppercorns is retained.
This is a specialty product, which finds a wide application in instant soups and
dry-meals on account of its special characteristics and subtle flavor. It is also
used in the cheese industry and for preparation of pates. By virtue of its reconstitution
characteristics it is a favorite choice for housewives who obtain it from the retail
in glass jars for varied application at home.Most of the moisture from fresh tender
green pepper is removed by freezing the berries at -30ºC to -40ºC under high vacuum.
The colour, aroma and texture of freeze-dried green pepper are superior to sun dried
or mechanically dehydrated green pepper. Freeze-dried green pepper has 2-4 per cent
moisture and is very light.
Dehydrated salted green pepper
Dehydrated salted green pepper is a product developed by the Pepper India Corporation;
it is a 100% substitute for green pepper in brine and is much more convenient as
it is easier for transportation and storing as it does not involve any brine solution.
It is a product, which can be used instead of pepper in brine as it contains both
pepper and salt in the same proportion and at the same time maintains the natural
green colour.
Canned green pepper
Green pepper after harvest is preserved in 2% brine solution and the product is
heat sterilized. This product has the additional advantage over dehydrated green
pepper in that it retains the natural colour, texture and flavour.
Bottled green pepper
Green pepper is preserved without spoilage in 20% brine solution containing 100
ppm SO2 and 0.2% citric acid. Addition of citric acid prevents blackening
of berries.
Cured green pepper
To overcome the disadvantages of poor texture and weak flavour of dehydrated green
pepper and the high unit weight and packing cost of canned and bottled green pepper,
cured green pepper has been developed. Berries are thoroughly cleaned in water,
steeped in saturated brine solution for 2-3 months, drained and packed in suitable
flexible polyethylene pouches.
Sterilised black pepper
Sterilized black pepper is a premium quality pepper. It is more noble and aromatic
than the other species of pepper. Being the spice capital of India, Kerala is considered
as the custodian of these ‘Black Pearls'. Black pepper is native to Malabar
and has been grown here for more than 2000 years.
Pepper berries are collected farm fresh and after removing all stones and other
foreign particles, it is thoroughly washed in boiling water and dried under controlled
conditions, till the moisture is brought down to less than 11%. Packaging is done
using double-layered poly bags of 25 kg net weight.
Black pepper crushed
Special quality black pepper is crushed and sieved into various sizes varying from
10-30 mesh according to the choice of the buyers and packed in double lined polybags
of 25 kg each.
Decorticated black pepper
This is a form of white pepper produced by mechanical decortications of the outer
skin of black pepper. This is generally done when white pepper is in short supply.
The appearance of decorticated kernel is inferior to traditionally prepared white
pepper, but is satisfactory when ground. Also the milling operation requires considerable
skill to avoid excessive volatile oil loss.
Pepper oil
Black pepper is crushed to coarse powder and steam distilled to obtain 2.5 to 3.5
per cent colourless to pale green essential oil which becomes viscous on ageing.
It is used in perfumery and in flavouring. Oil can also be distilled from white
pepper but high price of white pepper and low oil yield do not favour its commercial
production.
Pepper oleoresin
Extraction of black pepper with organic solvents like acetone, ethanol or dichloro-ethane
provides 10-13% oleoresin possessing the odour, flavour and pungent principles of
the spice. The content of the pungent alkaloid piperine ranges from 4 to 6% in dry
pepper and 35 to 50% in oleoresin. When freshly made, pepper oleoresin is a dark
green, viscous, heavy liquid with a strong aroma. One kg of oleoresin when dispersed
on an inert base can replace 15 to 20 kg of spice for flavouring purpose.
Drying percentage and flavour characteristics of
Panniyur varieties (1-7) of pepper
Properties
|
Panniyur varieties
|
P1
|
P2
|
P3
|
P4
|
P5
|
P6
|
P7
|
Drying %
|
35.3
|
35.7
|
27.8
|
34.7
|
35.7
|
32.9
|
33.6
|
Piperine %
|
5.30
|
6.50
|
4.80
|
4.40
|
5.30
|
4.94
|
5.57
|
Oleoresin %
|
11.78
|
12.20
|
10.40
|
11.30
|
12.33
|
8.27
|
10.61
|
Essential oil %
|
3.31
|
3.40
|
3.12
|
3.12
|
3.80
|
1.33
|
1.50
|
|