Record Details

Application of microwaves for microbial load reduction in black pepper (Piper nigrum L.)

IR@CSIR-CFTRI

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Relation http://ir.cftri.com/12424/
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.7630
 
Title Application of microwaves for microbial load
reduction in black pepper (Piper nigrum L.)
 
Creator Jeevitha, G. C.
Sowbhagya, H. B.
Umesh Hebbar, H.
 
Subject 09 Pepper
05 Microwave heating
 
Description BACKGROUND:Blackpepper (Pipernigrum L.) is exposed to microbial contaminationwhich couldpotentially create public health
risk and also rejection of consignments in the export market due to non-adherance to microbial safety standards. The present
study investigates the use of microwave (MW) radiation formicrobial load reduction in black pepper and analyses the effect on
quality.
RESULTS: Black pepper was exposed to MWs at two different power levels (663 and 800 W) at an intensity of 40 W g−1 for
different time intervals (1–15 min) and moisture content (110 and 260 g kg−1 on a wet basis). The exposure of black pepper
to MWs at 663 W for 12.5 min was found to be sufficient to reduce the microbial load to the permissible level suggested by
the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods and the European Spice Association. The retention
of volatile oil, piperine and resin was 91.3±0.03, 87.6±0.02 and 90.7±0.05%, respectively, in MW-treated black pepper. The
final moisture content after MW treatment was found to be 100±1 g kg−1 for black pepper containing initial moisture of
260±3 g kg−1.
CONCLUSION: These results suggest that MW heating can be effectively used for microbial load reduction of black pepper
without a significant loss in product quality.
 
Date 2016
 
Type Article
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
Identifier http://ir.cftri.com/12424/1/J%20Sci%20Food%20Agric%202016%2096%204243%E2%80%934249.pdf
Jeevitha, G. C. and Sowbhagya, H. B. and Umesh Hebbar, H. (2016) Application of microwaves for microbial load reduction in black pepper (Piper nigrum L.). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 96. pp. 4243-4249.