Impact of a UV-C Scalable Reactor on the Chemical and Sensory Quality of Peppercorns

This study investigates the chemical and sensory effects of UV-C disinfection on black, white, green, and pink peppercorns using a scalable mechanical drum reactor. While previous research has demonstrated the efficacy of UV-C radiation in microbial disinfection, there is a lack of deep, quality-focused research on food products. Nevertheless, for spices, this is just as important, if not more so, than food safety. Different analyses were conducted to assess changes in volatile compounds, organic acids, fatty acids, tocopherols, and colour following UV-C exposure. Additionally, sensory evaluations were performed using triangular tests to determine whether these chemical changes were perceptible to consumers. Results revealed that many of the measured chemical components were affected by the UV treatment, with some volatile compounds decreasing by up to 90%, while certain organic acids increased by more than 150%. Despite these changes, no significant differences in colour, aroma, or flavour were detected by the sensory panel across all pepper types. These findings suggest that UV-C irradiation, when applied under the tested conditions, preserves the sensory quality of peppercorns, supporting its potential as a non-thermal processing method for spice treatment.

This research was supported financially by the University of Alicante through a predoctoral contract from the Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferencia de Conocimiento (UAFPU21-05). The Agilent 7890B gas chromatograph (Palo Alto, CA, USA) coupled with an Agilent 5977B mass spectrometer (Palo Alto, CA, USA) and also the Agilent 1290 Infinity Online UHPLC with a triple quadrupole spectrometer featuring JetStream and iFunnel technology (UHPLC-1290/QQQ-6490; Agilent, CA, USA) used in this work were financed 80% by Fondos del Programa Operativo FEDER 2007/2013 de la Comunitat Valenciana and 20% by Generalitat Valenciana. The authors also wish to thank the University of Alicante for the financial support (UAUSTI24-11) for the use of the equipment.