How to dry chili peppers?

Chili peppers are widely planted worldwide, and during the harvest season, in addition to transporting and selling fresh vegetables, many of them need to be dried and processed into various chili products. There are many precautions to be taken during the drying process of chili peppers, such as stacking thickness, drying parameters, temperature and humidity control, and so on.

1. Stacking thickness: When using a dryer to dry chili peppers, attention should be paid to the stacking thickness of the peppers. It is recommended that the stacking thickness of the peppers be around 20-25 millimeters. Thin stacking of chili peppers: Although they have good breathability and low wind resistance, which is conducive to heat exchange, it can shorten the contact time between chili peppers and hot air, resulting in a decrease in heat utilization efficiency. Thick stacking of chili peppers can increase the resistance of hot air circulation, making it difficult for hot air to penetrate the material layer, resulting in poor drying effect or even inability to dry chili peppers.

2. Drying temperature parameters: The value of the hot air temperature for chili drying determines the drying quality and efficiency of chili peppers. Therefore, it is necessary to test the drying quality and efficiency of different varieties of chili peppers at various temperatures to determine the specific drying temperature and other parameter settings. It should be noted that chili peppers contain more than ten main nutrients, some of which are easily lost and damaged at high temperatures. In order to prevent a decrease in nutrient content, it is not advisable to choose higher hot air temperatures.

3. Moisture regain before packaging: After the drying process of chili peppers is completed, their moisture content is very low, their texture is crispy, and they are easily broken. Therefore, they should be placed indoors for moisture regain to absorb a certain amount of moisture and soften before packaging and storage.

4. Control of moisture content and humidity in chili peppers: The key to controlling the drying of chili peppers lies in the moisture content. Under normal circumstances, the moisture content of dried chili peppers is around 14%. If the moisture content is too high, it is easy to mold and spoil, while if it is too low, it is easy to break. Therefore, the control of moisture content should be appropriate.