Participation of pepper seed in the stability of paprika carotenoids

The degradation of carotenoid pigments present in dried, milled pepper frui t in the absence and presence of different proportions of seed at 70 degree s C in an oven was studied. The thermodegradation reaction rate was inverse ly proportional to the percentage of seed in the mixture in a first stage. Beyond that stage, the mixtures with lower proportions of seed lost pigment ation more slowly with increasing reaction time. In taking the experiment a s a whole, the value of the reaction rate was inverted, and was higher the greater the amount of seed. The presence of higher seed levels involve the addition of unsaturated fatty acids (mainly linoleic) that are prone to oxi dation. Finally, in a mixture representing a commercial paprika, the effect of the presence of some 40% of seed on the degradation of the red and yell ow pigment fractions was determined. Paper no. J9145 in JAOCS 76, 1449-1454 (December 1999).