COLOR DIFFERENCES IN PAPRIKA PEPPER VARIETIES (CAPSICUM-ANNUUM-L) CULTIVATED IN A GREENHOUSE AND IN THE OPEN-AIR

The quality of six paprika pepper varieties, cultivated in a greenhous e and in the open air, has been studied. There were differences in the ir paprika colours with regard to the total content of pigments (ASTA unities) and the quotient of the absorbance spectra values for red and yellow pigments (tint). Using colorimetric measurements, directly car ried out on the surface of the ripe fruits, the varieties are clearly separated in the CIELAB space colour, depending on their growing condi tions. The colorimetric coordinates a and b* and quotient a*/b* of th e ripe fruits, cultivated in greenhouse, allow to predict the total pi gments concentration of the resulting paprika. For the cultivations in the open air, the fruit brightness (L) and the chromatic quotient 20 00 x a/L* x b* are the parameters which show best the correlation wit h the total content of the paprika pigments. The fruit colour change, from green to red, coincides in both growing conditions with the momen t when the chlorophyll b concentration surpasses the a one. (C) 1998 S CI.