Effects of polyethylene bags, temperature and time on storage of two hot pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.) cultivars

Pods of the 'Hot Red' and 'Hot Yellow' cultivars of hot peppers were either seal-packaged in low density polyethylene bags (LDPE) or wrapped as a control in paper bags and examined for quality after 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 days at 10, 20 and 30°C. 'Hot Yellow' stored better and was less perishable than 'Hot Red' at all three temperatures. Both cultivars stored best at 10°C, but there were severe limitations to pod quality and shelf life due to decay in the LDPE bags and extensive shrivelling in the paper bags. Decay caused by Erwinia carrotovora was hastened by the moisture-laden environment caused by the high r.h. in the LDPE bags. Pods in the paper bags were subjected to lower relative humidity and showed signs of water stress much earlier than pods in the LDPE packaging. Nevertheless, their shelf life in the paper bags was longer mainly due to a delay in fungal decay which started four days later than pods in the LDPE bags.