PROCESSING FACTORS AFFECTING ACIDIFICATION OF CANNED PIMIENTO PEPPERS

Lye‐peeled, cored and washed pimiento peppers were separated into three ripeness levels and acidified in a citric acid bath, immersed in three different organic acids, processed at five different temperatures, and evaluated for pH and drained weight at intervals up to 12 months in separate experiments. Pimientos were also acidified at three acid bath concentrations, at three temperatures, for three periods of time and pH was measured at each treatment. Pimientos were also sampled at various points along a commercial processing line and pH and variability were determined at each step. Results showed pimientos at different levels of ripeness exhibited different pH levels after processing when acidified by immersion, whereas pimientos acidified in the jar exhibited no pH differences due to ripeness. Fumaric acid was more effective than citric or malic acids in lowering pH. An equation predicting pimiento pH from acid bath concentration, temperature and duration of dip showed concentration was by far the most important determinant. Processed pimiento pH seemed to decrease slightly as processing time increased. No changes in pH of jar fractions of whole and diced acid bath‐acidified pimientos was seen over a 12‐month storage period. In‐plant studies illustrated higher than normal pH values and high variabilities at intermediate process steps but fairly uniform pH values after processing. A significant negative correlation was observed between pimiento pH and acid bath concentration. Whole pimientos were more sensitive to acid bath variations than diced pimientos.