Comparative effects of different sterilization pretreatment on pepper quality

In order to discuss the effect of different sterilization pretreatment techniques on the quality of pepper,pretreatment methods of ozone,UV irradiation and short-time blanching to reduce pepper bacteria were carried out in this paper. Then the pepper was kept in cold storage. The effects of different treatments on microbe-reducing ratios,water loss rate and color values,and content of reducing sugar,vitamin C and color values in storage of fresh pepper were studied. The results showed that all the three treatments could reduce the total number of colonies on the surface of pepper significantly. When the ozone concentration was 10 mg/m³ and the processing time was 2 min,the effect of anti-bacteria was best,and the rate of water loss and color difference values were lower than the UV irradiation and short-time blanching treatment. During the cold storage,the ozone treatment could reduce the content of reducing sugar and vitamin C,and keep better color of pepper. Comprehensive analysis showed that the treatment of 10 mg/m³ ozone concentration with 2 min was the best sterilization treatment. This could reduce the total number of colonies on the surface of pepper effectively,and maintain the better quality of pepper material.