INFLUENCE OF SUNDRYING ON THE CHEMICAL-COMPOSITION, AFLATOXIN CONTENTAND FUNGAL COUNTS OF 2 PEPPER VARIETIES - CAPSICUM-ANNUM AND CAPSICUM-FRUTESCENS

Samples of sundried, matured red pepper, Capsicum annum with a moistur e content (MC) of 12.7-26.8 percent had on dry weight basis, vitamin C , 5.0-6.4 mg/100 g; crude protein, 0.8-1.2 percent; total soluble soli ds, 3.3-4.1 percent, and fungal counts of log 4.4-4.5/g. Ordinary matu red red C. annum had MC, 75.7-78.2 percent vitamin C, 36.1-38.5 mg/100 g; crude protein, 2.4-2.8 percent; total soluble solids, 9.3-9.9 perc ent and fungal count of log 3.32-3.39/g. Sundried matured red C. frute scens had corresponding values of 9.4-18.7 percent; 5.8-6.3 mg/100g; 0 .8-1.1 percent; 0.9 -2.6 percent and log 3.2-3.4/g. No aflatoxins were detected in sundried, matured red C, frutescens, but aflatoxin B-1 va lues obtained from C. annum varied from non-detectable to 2.2 mu g/kg. Dominant fungi isolated from C, annum and C. frutescens were Rhizopus oryzaze, Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, Geotrichum candidum and Saccha romyces spp.