EFFECT OF ASCORBIC-ACID ADDITION TO PEPPERS ON PAPRIKA QUALITY

The use of ascorbic acid addition to foods to protect pigments from ox idation has been widely applied. Control or ascorbic acid-added paprik a peppers were processed in a similar way as for paprika manufacture. During the process, lipoxygenase activity, total colour, red/yellow pi gment ratio and ascorbic acid levels were measured. In general an incr ease of total colour and red pigments was observed in ascorbic acid-tr eated samples. The lipoxygenase activity was depressed in ascorbic aci d-treated fruits on the first day of processing. However, the activity was increased again, at second day, when the ascorbic acid was oxidis ed, showing a close relationship between enzyme activity and the antio xidant. After the process, ascorbic acid was also added to half of the paprika from control peppers and its quality and stability of the pig ments against light or heat was compared to the paprika from ascorbic acid-added peppers. At the end of the treatment a better quality was o bserved in paprika obtained from the ascorbic acid-added peppers.