Abstract

E. A. Onwubuya, E. O. Okporie and M. G. Nenna

Pepper belongs to the group of crops commonly referred to as perishables. In their fresh form under hot tropical conditions, they suffer extensive deterioration within a short time after harvest. Thus, a great % is lost through spoilage. A palatability test was carried out on Nsukka yellow pepper after processing, preserving and storing for 3 months by women farmers in the 3 agricultural zones of Enugu State. The sample size of 120 women farmers were randomly selected for the study. Data were collected using structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were employed in data analysis. The study revealed that production of Nsukka yellow pepper is a major agricultural activity for women in the state. Middle aged women were involved in the production, processing, preservation and marketing of the yellow pepper, irrespective of their educational levels. The study also revealed that yellow pepper can be produced, processed and preserved in any of the 3 agricultural zones of the state without compromising its flavour and fruit colour. Thus, there was no significant difference between the tested attributes in the 3 zones. The processing and preservation techniques of yellow pepper were generally accepted by the women farmers. However, steam–blanching/salting/sun-drying (BT1) technique was rated best while salting/sun drying (ST2) technique was rated second best in the overall acceptability.