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Pepper
Article index
Production process of pepper | ||
Harvesting | ||
Production of black pepper | ||
Production of white pepper | ||
Production of green pepper | ||
Production of red pepper | ||
Microbiological safety | ||
Grinding | ||
Packing |
Production process of pepper
Harvesting
The berries of the pepper plant (Piper nigrum) are manually picked when the berries are not yet ripe. Unripe berries are still green, while ripe berries are red. The berries have a size of 0.2 to 5 mm and each becomes a peppercorn. The black and white pepper originate from the same plant. Red peppers originate from an other plant. Green pepper is treated so that it remains green.Production of black pepper
The berries are spread on large platforms in order to dry in the sun. This drying process takes a week or one and a half week. After drying the berries are black.Another and faster way to dry the berries is by picking the berries at a later time when they start to become red and by boiling them in water for 10 minutes. In this way, they only have to dry for three to four days. After an hour the berries turn black.
Production of white pepper
In order to obtain white pepper the corns are, after being harvested, packed in large bags and placed in running water for 15 days. Or they are stored in a silo after they have been boiled. Bacteria make sure that the fruit of the berry is removed so that the seed of the berry remains. In this way a white peppercorn appears.An other method to obtain white pepper is by mechanically removing the outer layer of the berry. In the producing countries the traditional method is preferred.
Because the fruit of the berry is removed the white pepper has a more mild taste.