Extractable Color and Ash Determinations of Paprika. Megan Bocchino Alex Early Jocelyn Ngo Lindsay Walker

Transcription

1 Extractable Color and Ash Determinations of Paprika Megan Bocchino Alex Early Jocelyn Ngo Lindsay Walker Performed: 22 May 2013 Submitted: 5 June 2013 FSN Group #3 3-6pm Food Science and Nutrition Department California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, CA

2 Introduction Paprika, or dried Capsicum annum peppers, consist of multiple varieties cultivated in several countries. Paprika is widely considered a spice, but serves dual functions in foods: introduction of of mild flavor and the addition of color. Under the Food and Drug Administration, paprika is categorized as both a spice and a color additive. The American Spice Trade Association, or ASTA, describes three main classifications of paprika, including Hungarian, Spanish, and American; each is described as having distinctive color and flavor properties (ASTA). One of the most widely consumed spices today (ASTA), commercial paprika necessitates quality assurance measures. Two important measures of quality for paprika are extractable color and ash determinations. In an ash determination, the incineration of the organic components in a product will yield residual inorganic material, or ash, which can be collected for a measurable quality assessment. The USDA provides an accessible Food Composition Database, which provides a standard for the percent ash composition of a given product. For this exercise, the USDA expected composition of paprika consists of approximately 7.74% ash. This figure is important for assessment of quality, as ash content above the standard suggests the product is likely dirty and possibly adulterated. The colorant function of paprika is assessed by measuring the amount of extractable color in a sample. When the colorant molecules, or chromogens, are extracted, transmission spectrophotometry measures the intensity of color. More extractable color within a paprika sample represents a higher quality product. The long and rapid procedures are used for color extraction. The rapid procedure was developed as a means of saving time and money in paprika commerce, however, the method yields more ash and a lower quality sample. The purpose of this exercise is to determine the extractable color and composition of ash in three samples of paprika. The resulting data will help to determine whether Hungarian or domestic paprika is of highest quality.

3 Materials Ash Determination Mettler Toledo AB104-S analytical balance Made in Switzerland Serial Number: SNR Five porcelain ashing crucible, pre-dried Hevi Duty Electrical Cp., Type 66 muffle furnace Model Number: F62735 Serial Number: Long-handled metal tongs Desiccator jar Gloves Spectrophotometry Mettler Toledo AB104-S analytical balance Made in Switzerland Serial Number: SNR Szeged Hungarian Paprika Pride of Szeged Net Weight: 5 oz, 142g Serial Number: PAHU05PS Bausch and Lomb Spectrophotometer (Spec 21) Catalog Number: Serial Number: cm spectrophotometer cells Six 100 ml volumetric flasks Six 10 ml pipettes Glassine weighing papers Acetone, ACS reagent Methods The methods for both procedures can be found starting on page 43 in the FSN 335 Lab Manual by Dr. Brian Hampson (2011) with the following deviations: Only 5 ash samples were taken. The machine was not calibrated at the beginning of the experiment, it was assumed to be previously calibrated based on Dr. Hampson s reassurance. No grinding was needed due to all paprika being ground prior to receiving; no mill was used.

4 Results Lab Group ASTA Color (Rapid) ASTA Color (Long) Ash (%) Tampico Average Hungarian Average ABCO Average Table 1: 12-3pm Lab Results for Extractable Color and Ash of Paprika

5 Lab Group ASTA Color (Rapid) ASTA Color (Long) Ash (%) Tampico Average Hungarian Average , ABCO Average Table 2: 3-6pm Lab Results for Extractable Color and Ash of Paprika

6 The standard deviation of the ash for the Hungarian paprika in the 3-6pm lab was Figure 1: Ash Results for Hungarian Paprika Discussion Since paprika is primarily used to add color to a product, the comparison between extractable color is important to note. The extractable color for the Hungarian brand, overall on average, had the lowest extractable color, followed by Tampico. The highest amount of extractable color is ABCO; these results categorize ABCO as the superior spice based upon having the brightest color and highest extractable color value. When doing a long and short extraction of color, as expected, the longer test will have the highest value. In our experiment, the long extraction, on average, was and the short was This shows that the values for the color extractions are precise. Accuracy cannot be confirmed as we do not have a reference for the Hungarian imported paprika. Ash content results were extremely noticeable in regards to the differences in quality. Ash is the inorganic residue that is left in a sample after incineration. The imported Hungarian product and the Tampico had almost the same average ash values at and 10.67, respectively. It is unknown what specifically caused these levels to be high, with the possibility of adulterants or contaminants being likely suspects. ABCO had a significant difference in average ash value at The Agricultural Marketing Service of the United States Department of Agriculture s, or AMS-USDA, ash requirement for paprika is 7.74%; ABCO is the only one that exceeds the agency s definition of paprika. The Hungarian and Tampico products fall far below ash quality levels, by about 3%. High amounts of ash show that the product has contaminates or has been adulterated. With high ash content and low extractable color values, a consumer could be paying more money for impure paprika product. Overall, the Szeged Hungarian imported paprika had the lowest amount of extractable color and an ash content 3% higher than what is allowed by the AMS-USDA. Based on these results, if a company had to chose a company to purchase paprika from, ABCO would be the best choice due to it s exceeding quality over the other two brands. Additional testing to confirm this lab s results would be needed to correct for possible errors. During the first lab, there were machine errors that altered their data. In the 3-6pm lab, one sample was flaming, rather than smoldering, when the furnace was opened, leading to inconsistency due to the incineration of the samples. Also, if samples and crucibles were not handled properly, oil and other interferences from human error could have affected these results.

7 Conclusion To rank the samples in terms of best extractable color and lowest ash percentage, the ABCO paprika is far superior, followed by the domestic Tampico paprika, and lastly the imported Hungarian paprika. References American Spice Trade Association FDA s labeling regulations for paprika and foods containing paprika. Asta.org. Retrieved from