PROPRIEDADES FÍSICAS DE SEMENTES DE PIMENTA MALAGUETA

Abstract

Chilli peppers belonging to the Solanaceae family, are prominent in the Brazilian commercial market. The physical properties of agricultural products are altered in the drying process, assuming great importance the study of ideal conditions for a correct development in harvest and post-harvest management, which will influence the conservation of seed quality. The objective of this work was to study the effect of drying on the physical properties of Capsicum frutescens L. seeds, to adjust different mathematical models to the experimental volumetric contraction data and to identify the model that best represents this phenomenon. The work was developed at the Sample Preparation Laboratory of the Federal Institute of Goiás - Campus Ceres. The chili pepper fruits were harvested at Fazenda Cachoeira, in the municipality of Jaraguá - GO, the seeds were extracted manually and then subjected to drying at 30 ºC. The analysis of the physical properties for the water content of the seeds, the rate of water reduction, density, porosity, orthogonal axes, geometric dimensioning and the volumetric contraction index was continued. Five mathematical models were adjusted to the experimental data of volumetric contraction, and from the statistical criteria the best was selected. There was a reduction in the values of physical properties according to the drying time and, also, a reduction in the water content. It was concluded that the drying process affects the physical properties of chili pepper seeds, and that the Linear model was the best representative model for volumetric contraction.