Physical-mechanical Estimation of Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Fruit Varieties

Peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) are an important horticultural crop and are used fresh and processed. Several physical and mechanical properties of five pepper varieties (Yellow Bell, Red Bell, Green Bell, Red Chilli and Green Chilli) have been investigated. The results showed that there were important significant differences among the varieties in most of the parameters that were measured. The physical characteristics included moisture content, length, width, thickness, projected area, surface area, sphericity, aspect ratio, mass and volume. The coefficients of static and dynamic friction were obtained on stainless steel, galvanic iron, glass and plastic. The aim of this study was to measure some physical and mechanical attributes of five pepper fruit varieties. Among the varieties, Red Bell variety had the highest average fruit mass (217.99 g) and followed by Yellow Bell (122.28 g) and Green Bell (112.80 g). The highest geometric, arithmetic, square, equivalent mean diameter values were observed for Red Bell. The projected and surface areas of varieties were between 52.47-108.29 cm2 and 103.56-227.42 cm2, respectively. In the current study, researchers investigated the mentioned attributes of peppers and then established a convenient reference table for pepper mechanization and processing.