Dried red chili peppers pungency assessment by visible and near infrared spectroscopy
Chili peppers are widely used in many cuisines all around the world for enhancing dishes hotness. For this reason, a fast, reliable, non-destructive and not-invasive method is needed to measure and control the content of hotness in red chili peppers could be quite useful in respect of their use. Visible - Near InfraRed Spectroscopy (Vis-NIRS) fits well this purpose. The work explores the possible utilization of a portable spectroradiometer, to evaluate the spiciness of dried red chili peppers, along others important properties such as moisture content and ash content.