Impact of the manner of use on perceived odour profile of non-thermal plasma processed black pepper through a rate-all-that-apply (RATA) technique
Black pepper is one of the most consumed food spices worldwide. However, due to improper handling, processing, transport and storage, it is prone to contamination. Non-thermal plasma is a green emerging process that inactivates the contaminating microbes present in food. This study aims to assess the impact of the manner of use (whole, ground and milled) in the odour profile of black peppercorns undergoing microwave-driven plasma (0 – Control, 1, 10 and 30 min). Consumers (n=75) rated overall liking using the classical 9-point scale and evaluated 17 odour attributes using a Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA) list, rating from 0-“Not applicable” to 5-“Very applicable”. The different samples were presented whole in a white container with a lid, pre-ground in closed sachets, and milled at the moment. The results showed a negative impact of the longer processing time, with the shorter processing times having no impact. The impact of the manner of use was stronger; the freshly milled samples (7.6 ± 0.1) had and higher overall liking than the whole samples (7.4 ± 0.1) (p>0.05). There were also significant differences in odour attributes, with the 30-minute whole samples presenting higher pungency and old wardrobe odour and lower freshness when grounded. The whole samples had stronger earthy, woody, fresh pine, old wardrobe, wood oil and smoke/ash odours. Ground and freshly milled present some similarities in the odour profile, yielding more intense balsamic, floral, fresh, black pepper, and spices odours. Results enhance the applicability of non-thermal plasma for spice decontamination while keeping their gastronomic profile.
Publish date 2025-08-18
Author(s) Aline Silva, Célia Rocha, Yijiao Yao, Kees den Uijl , Martin Linthorst, Uta.Schnabel, Jörg Ehlbeck, Kimon Andreas G. Karatzas, Lisa Methven, Luís Miguel Cunha
