Testing of Basic Characteristics of Pepper Fresh Fruits and
O
p
timization of Mechanical Parameters
Yuan Zhang
1
, Lijiao Wei
1*
, Yiguo Deng
1,2
, Mingfu Li
1
, Yeqin Wang
1
and Shengli Liu
3
1
Tropical Agricultural Machinery Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Zhanjiang,
China
2
Agricultural Science and Technology Co., Ltd. of YIWU, Zhanjiang,China
3
The Center of CangLong Agricultural Technology Service for Zhanjiang City, Zhanjiang, China
Keywords: Pepper, physical properties, mechanical properties, testing, analysis.
Abstract: By measuring the physical properties of fresh green peppers and measuring the mechanical properties of the
epidermis, the crushed and damaged data of the peel and the nucleus under different working conditions
were analyzed. The results showed that using 3% 7.0, soaking in heated waters within 24h with the
pretreatment of broken machine and peeler peeling peel fruit of the process steps. Obtained the base of the
working clearance of 5.5-6.5mm, the cavity is three times the size of the gradual change model and the
mechanical properties of the control in the 5 ~ 40N, you can get better peeling effect and the core is not
damaged basic conclusions , Which provided theoretical basis for upgrading and processing of pepper initial
processing machinery.
1 INTRODUCTION
Pepper fresh fruit is picked after sterilization,
peeling, washing, drying, and vested white pepper.
white pepper products as one of the most popular
products, it needs to remove the peel, pulp and
drying the pepper seed process, peeling is the most
crucial step.
Pepper fresh fruit peeling methods are the
traditional water immersion method, mechanical
peeling method, chemical peeling method and
biological enzyme method. The traditional method
of soaking for a long time (the shortest 5-7d),
resulting in a long processing cycle, covers large
area, But wastes a lot of water during the processing,
labor-intensive production of white pepper has a
serious odor. Processing quality is not stable, the
cost is higher and higher. Chemical peeling pepper
will consume large amounts of chemical raw
materials, high cost, resulting in waste water
pollution of the environment, while the chemical
reagents used in food processing makes the law
difficult to promote (Li Mingfu, 2015; Wu Huasong,
2006; Wang Xiulan, 2004). Although enzymatic
peeling process shorter, less pollution, but also can
play a role in water conservation to some extent, but
the cost of enzyme preparation is too high, the
cultivation of enzymes for shorter cycles peeling
pepper is also more complex, related research work
also remain in the laboratory stage, it is difficult to
promote; mechanical peeling method mainly by
means of mechanical working principle, the use of
peeling parts and pepper fruit friction, collision,
hitting the role of peeling. At present, many
domestic and foreign researchers have reported on
the development of peeling machine and washing
machine, but the process should be in accordance
with threshing (artificial or mechanical), fan to
stems, green ripe fruit sorting, soaking pool or river
immersion, machinery Rinsing, natural drying or
drying, cleaning, grading and other implementation
in order to get better quality finished products. The
process involves more equipment, complex
conditions, the cost is higher, while friction or hit
peeling machine also exists incomplete peeling, high
nuclear damage rate and waste more serious issues
such as the entire peeling process and ancillary
equipment Improve the optimization of space is still
larger.
Throughout the status of pepper processing,
enzymatic, biological and water immersion, etc.,
aside processing costs, cycles, product quality and
Zhang, Y., Wei, L., Deng, Y., Li, M., Wang, Y. and Liu, S.
Testing of Basic Characteristics of Pepper Fresh Fruits and Optimization of Mechanical Parameters.
In 3rd International Conference on Electromechanical Control Technology and Transportation (ICECTT 2018), pages 627-631
ISBN: 978-989-758-312-4
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved
627

other factors, the final peeling still need to be
manually assisted. However, with the gradual lack of
rural labor force in recent years, no one is willing to
continue to engage in first-line agricultural
production, and the rural areas are facing the
situation of having no labor force. As a result,
people become the biggest bottleneck in the
development of agriculture (Vaidyanatha Lyer
Thankamani, 2004; Li Mingfu, 2015; Du Zhihao,
2011; MR. BINU, 2013). Although the mechanical
peeling method can alleviate the shortage of rural
labor force to a certain extent, it has some help, but
the huge unit or the product quality, waste and other
factors still restrict the pace of its mechanized
production.
Based on the requirement of scale and
industrialization of pepper processing, the key
technologies of peel peeling of peppers are still
difficult to meet the relevant international standards.
The lack of adequate market competitiveness of
peppers has not yet been fundamentally solved,
which limits the sustainable development of peppers
industry to a large extent development of. Therefore,
by measuring the physical properties of pepper fresh
fruit, the mechanical properties of the test, will help
strengthen pepper peel peeling key technology
research, to focus on carrying out efficient, high
quality, non-polluting, low-cost processing
technology research and ancillary equipment
research Provide basic reference indicators.
2 OVERALL RESEARCH
METHOD
The overall method for the study is as follows: First,
the pretreated pepper fruits are pretreated with a
pretreatment machine to damage most of the
pericarp, but the damage is not damaged. Then, the
pretreated pepper fruits are treated with a biological
enzyme for a certain period of time, Machine
peeling, and finally washed and dried to get white
pepper (P.K Ravi, 2013).
The chemical constituents of pepper epidermis
were tested by phytochemical pretreatment system.
The chemical constituents of pepper fresh fruits
were studied qualitatively by water extraction,
ethanol extraction and petroleum ether extraction.
According to their chemical composition and related
experiments The corresponding enzyme preparation
is screened; pepper physical properties of the
measurement of the use of electronic scales, vernier
caliper, respectively, hundred-weight and two-axis
size measurement, multiple sets of data to determine
the average to determine the mechanical properties
of fresh pepper test using electronic universal testing
machine The anti-stress of pepper fruit was
measured many times, the value of anti-stress was
recorded, and the average value of multiple
measurements was taken. The friction test method
was used to conduct several tests to record the peel
adhesion strength of pepper and the average value of
multiple experiments. After analyzing its physical
characteristics And mechanical properties, based on
the design of mechanical pretreatment equipment to
provide a theoretical basis.
Pepper fresh fruit peeling best enzyme
preparation screening and peeling process to the
peeling effect as an indicator, the use of single factor
test results comparison analysis, screening of
suitable enzyme preparation, the use of response
surface analysis of enzymatic peeling process
conditions further Analysis and optimization, to
determine the best process parameters for the design
of peeling machine provide a reference.
3 PHYSICAL PROPERTY
MEASUREMENT AND
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
TESTING
3.1 Physical property measurement
Pepper ear harvest picking string yellow ear or more
than four cooked fruit, this method is the traditional
practices and experiences of farmers, but also
recognized by the market, so the pepper grains have
green, ripe fruit points, understand the pepper fruit
hundred-grain weight, two-axis size of the indicators
help to quickly complete the mechanical method of
pepper fruit epidermal premature damage. It has a
direct guiding significance for the design, working
principle and shaping of key components of pepper
fresh fruit pretreatment machine (Piper nigrum L,
2013; Piper nigrum L, 2013; V.Thirupathi., 2009; Li
Mingfu, 2012).
Hundred-weight measurement of electronic
balance as the main tool, points green ripe fruit,
artificial selection of hundred weighing and
recording, each sub-100 were weighed separately.
Pepper fruit mass distribution shown in Figure 1 (a,
b).
ICECTT 2018 - 3rd International Conference on Electromechanical Control Technology and Transportation
628

（a）
（b）
Figure 1 Pepper green ripe fruit hundred redistribution
map
As can be seen from Figure 1, pepper ripe fruit
hundred gravimetric distribution of the relative law,
the ripe fruit hundred weight in 13-14g; green fruit is
still in the growth stage, and the growth rate varies,
the distribution of hundred weight more Wide range,
between 12-15g.
Two-axis size using electronic vernier caliper,
points green ripe fruit, artificial selection of the 100,
were measured. The bifacial distribution of pepper
fresh fruit is shown in Fig.2.
（a）
（b）
Figure 2 Peppers two-axis size distribution
As can be seen from Fig. 2, the distribution of
the biaxial size of the cooked pepper is regular and
the size of the biaxial axis is basically the same. The
biaxial size of the bred fruit is between 5.5 and 6.5
mm. The green fruit is still in the growth stage. The
biaxial size Yet irregular, and basically distributed
between 5.5-6.5mm, the shape of green fruit has not
yet formed, but the size of the final shape after the
formation of ripe fruit basically the same.
3.2 Mechanical properties test
Pepper fresh fruit mechanical properties of the test
can be further understanding of the green peel
pepper skin damage, stress resistance of the nuclear,
Pepper peel peeling machine design, mechanical
properties, peeling principle selection provides a
theoretical reference to help peel fruit peel Pre-
broken machine and peeling machine model
optimization and improve pepper processing
quality(Li Mingfu, 2012; Zhang Yuan,2015).
Pepper mechanical properties of fresh fruit,
divided into green ripe fruit, artificial thresholding,
the selection of maturity, color, shape close to the
sample of 100 each, the use of TE-XWW-20
electronic universal testing machine (Shanghai
RIXIN data analysis and image processing software)
test. Mechanical curve shown in Figure 3.
（a）
（b）
Figure 3 Pepper fresh fruit anti-stress test map
Testing of Basic Characteristics of Pepper Fresh Fruits and Optimization of Mechanical Parameters
629

From Fig. 3 (a), we can see that there are two
turning points on the strength and time chart of
pepper green fruit, the first time the external force
reaches 3 ~ 4N and the second time is 31 ~ 32N; (b)
There are also two turning points on the time chart,
when the external force reaches 3 ~ 5N for the first
time, the second time is 36 ~ 37.5N. The above can
be expected to damage the epidermis of pepper
about 3 ~ 5N external force, while the damage of the
nuclear fruit about 30 ~ 40 external force, that
pretreatment and peeling machine theoretical hitting
force should be controlled below 40N.
3.3 Chemical Analysis
A clear chemical composition of fresh peel peel for
rapid and safe screening of enzymes suitable for
biological peeling process is of crucial significance,
but also the enzymatic and mechanical methods
combined with the peeling process theory basis. The
test and analysis of the chemical constituents in the
peel The chemical composition of the pepper fresh
fruit was qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed
by the method of phytochemical composition system
pre-test, the extraction method of water extraction,
ethanol extraction and petroleum ether extraction.
According to the results of the test and analysis,
it was found that the peel of pepper fruit contains
chemical components such as carbohydrate, flavone,
organic acid, saponin, lactone, alkaloid and
coumarin and does not contain cardiac glycoside,
amino acid, anthraquinone, protein, Volatile oil, may
contain phenolic substances.
Based on the above chemical composition
analysis, the choice of enzyme preparation mainly
selected pectinase, xylanase, cellulase, enzyme
solution four kinds of specific peeling effect shown
in Figure 4 (a-d).
（a）
（b）
（c）
（d）
Figure 4 Different enzyme concentrations lead to peeling
effect map
Analysis of Figure 4 (ad) shows that the peeling
effect of pectinase and xylanase can reach more than
75%, and pectinase and xylanase dosage of 5% or
more to achieve better results, while the fiber
Enzymes do not affect pepper peel peeling the main
enzyme preparation. Figure d complex enzyme
solution, the concentration of 3% or more to achieve
the effect of the above single enzyme effect,
showing a good economic value.
Figure 5 Different enzyme conditions under the effect of
comparison
ICECTT 2018 - 3rd International Conference on Electromechanical Control Technology and Transportation
630

As can be seen from Fig. 5, the optimal peeling
effect of different enzyme preparations is compared
with the color difference value L, the peeling effect
of the composite enzyme solution is best, and the
color difference value L is close to that of pectinase
and xylanase, Chromatic aberration value L of
recognition, at the same time, in the amount, cost,
peeling time, etc. have shown better economy,
preferably pepper fruit pretreatment after the
enzyme preparation.
4 CONCLUSIONS
a.According to the principle of ball dynamics and
the rules of contact between the friction surface and
the solid body, the working gap of the pre-treated
damage machine is 1 to 3 times the biaxial size (5.5-
6.5mm) according to the physical characteristics
measurement. The peeling machine is from top to
bottom The taper gap range is 3 times the cardinal
taper of the biaxial size.
b.According to the principle of friction
mechanics, the mechanical properties of peeling
parts in the working chamber of the peeling machine
should be controlled at 5 ~ 40N to ensure the peeling
of the fresh fruits of the pepper and the kernels are
not damaged.
c.Using complex enzyme preparation. The whole
peeling process according to the screening of the
composite enzyme solution concentration of 3%, PH
value 7.0, heated water immersion within 24h with
the pretreatment damage machine and peeling
machine to achieve the optimal process steps.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work was financially supported by the Central
Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research
Fund for Public Welfare Research and Capacity
Building of Guangdong Province
(2017A020208009); Chinese Academy of Tropical
Agricultural Sciences(1630132017003)and
Collaborative innovation and platform environment
construction special of Guangdong Province
(2017A040406003).
I would like to thank the members of the
research group for their selfless help, especially the
communication author Wei Lijiao.
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