GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY SNIFFING PORT ANALYSIS AND SENSORY EVALUATION OF COMMERCIALLY DRIED BELL PEPPERS (CAPSICUM-ANNUUM) AFTER REHYDRATION

Cultivated, cut and commercially dried red bell peppers (origins Chile , Hungary, and Turkey) were rehydrated and then evaluated by descripti ve and hedonic panels. The types of pepper did not differ significantl y in sensory values for the attributes cucumber, cooked vegetables, bu rned, mushrooms, bell pepper, fruity, grassy/green vegetables, fresh, spicy and sweet. The bell peppers of Chilean origin were rated higher in sour, bitter, sharp and pungent attributes than the Turkish, and hi gher in bitter and pungent attributes than the Hungarian. The Hungaria n rated higher in 'sour' than the Turkish, Volatile compounds were ana lysed by gas chromatography, using flame ionisation detection, mass sp ectrometry and sniffing port detection. Forty-six compounds were ident ified, 12 of which possessed odours: 2-methylpropanal (chocolate); 2- and 3-methylbutanal (chocolate); 2,3-butadione (caramel/butter); 1-pen ten-3-one (plastic/chemical); hexanal (grassy/ green); heptanal (lemon /orange); beta-ocimene (fish/rotten/sickly); trans-3-hepten-2-one (mus hrooms); dimethyltrisulphide (rotten/onion/leek); 2-methoxy-3-isobutyl -pyrazine (bell pepper); and beta-cyclocitral (fruity). The compositio ns of the volatiles were similar for the three origins, although the H ungarian one generally exhibited the largest peak areas. The bell pepp ers from Chile were appreciated more by the panel than the ones from T urkey. This was probably due to the higher intensity of taste attribut es (sour, bitter, sharp and pungent) because composition of the volati le compounds and intensity of odour attributes were similar for both o rigins.