EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND DRYING TIME ON QUALITY REDCHILI POWDER (CAPSICUM ANNUUM L.)

Red chili (Capsicum annuum L.) is an essential horticultural commodity for the human. However, its freshness level is difficult to maintain so it cannot last long. An alternative to this problem is to process it into powder through the drying process so that it has a long shelf life. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of drying temperature, drying time, and the interaction between the two on the quality of red chili powder. The research was conducted at the Faculty of Agriculture, Syiah Kuala University from May to June 2023. The study used a Completely Randomized Design 3x3 factorial pattern with 3 replications, there were 9 treatment combinations, 27 experimental units. The first factor is drying temperature with 3 levels (60, 65, and 70ËšC) and the second factor is drying time with 3 levels (20, 23, and 26 hours). Observation parameters included yield, water content, vitamin C content, capsaicin content, ash content, fat content, color measurement and organoleptic test. The results showed that drying temperature had a very significant effect on yield, water content, vitamin C content, capsaicin content, ash content, fat content, color, and organoleptic test. The best temperature was 60ËšC. Drying time has a very significant effect on yield, water content, vitamin C content, capsaicin content, ash content, fat content, and color (a and b) and has a significant effect on color (L) and organoleptic test (smell). The best drying time is 20 hours. There is a very significant interaction between temperature and drying time on yield, moisture content, capsaicin content, ash content, and organoleptic test (aroma) and there is a significant interaction on vitamin C content, color (L), and organoleptic test (texture). The best treatment combination of temperature 60ËšC with a drying time of 20 hours.