Spice paprika volatiles as affected by different postharvest ripening treatments of red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) variety aleva NK

Abstract

The influence of post-harvest ripening conditions of pepper AlevaNK picked in red maturity stage on the composition of volatiles in spice paprika was investigated by GC-MS. The post-harvest ripening in the dark and under daylight was conducted under semicontrolled conditions for two weeks. The obtained chromatograms indicated that the aroma of investigated spice paprika consisted of a large number of volatile compounds regardless of the application and conditions of the post-harvest ripening. The main volatiles of the analyzed paprika samples were fatty acids and their esters, terpenes and terpenoides and aldehydes and ketones. The share of fatty acids and their esters decreased during the post-harvest ripening, and the ripening in the dark favored the decrease. The share of terpenes and terpenoides and the share of aldehydes and ketones in the total volatiles increased during the post-harvest ripening. The post-harvest ripening in the dark favored the increase of the share of terpenes and terpenoides, while the ripening under daylight favored the increase of the share of aldehydes and ketones.