Effect of Temperature on Rehydration Kinetics, Functional Properties, Texture and Antioxidant Activity of Red Pepper Var. Hungarian (Capsicum Annuum L.)

Dehydrated peppers at 60C were rehydrated at three temperatures (20, 40 and 60C) to analyze the effect of processing temperature on rehydration kinetics and quality attributes of final products. Several empirical and diffusive models were applied to simulate rehydration kinetics. Based on statistical results (sum of square error, root mean square error and chi-square), Weibull and exponential models obtained the best fit quality for the experimental data. Water holding capacity and rehydration ratio presented a maximum and minimum value at 40C, respectively, indicating structural modifications of pepper due to thermal processing. Based on the glass transition temperature of the dried samples, it could be inferred that peppers are susceptible to structural disruption during rehydration at the three working temperatures. Increasing rehydration temperatures lead to a reduction in the pepper firmness. The radical scavenging activity showed higher antioxidant activity at high temperatures (e.g., 60C) rather than at low temperatures (e.g., 20 and 40C). © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.