In order to assess whether a pepper To ensure it's good, you need to know what to look for. Freshness, of course, but also grain size, degree of drying, and last but not least, aroma.
But what is pepper Black pepper is the dried, unripe fruit of a plant with the species name Piper nigrum. Although the species name suggests otherwise, the fruits themselves are not black at all, but green, unripe, turning orange to red, as the ripe fruit. When you buy a good quality black pepper If you look closely, you will see that some of the 'grains' have a reddish-brown to red glow, indicating that they also contain ripe berries.
The "blackening" of the berries, just like with tea, is partly the result of enzymatic oxidation, also known as enzymatic browning. We know this from the browning of bananas, avocados, and apples. But the development of the color and taste of black pepper It's more complex than that. The best results are achieved by briefly and gently blanching the picked berries and then drying them in a controlled manner (e.g., mechanically).
The peppermarket is dominated by black pepper, the pepper of the predominantly unripe berries from large-scale cultivation. There is no room for red pepper, because the berries on a bunch don't ripen evenly. The less ripe the berries, the more secure the harvest, because the longer you leave the berries on the plant—they don't ripen further—the greater the risk of losing your harvest due to berries starting to rot. With premium peppers, such as black Penja - up to 70% of the berries on the picked bunches are orange to red, that is, semi-ripe or ripe, and in some regions, such as Kampot and Phu Quoc, the ripe berries are hand-selected to make 'red' pepper to make. Delicious!
To white pepper To produce it, the berries must be peeled. In the artisanal white pepper the skins of the berries are soaked in water, either in running water (a stream) or in barrels. This process is called to save called. Depending on the technique used, fermentation may or may not occur during the retting process. After the skins have become loose, they are rubbed and removed from the core.
For a good white pepper Ripe berries are traditionally used. Large-scale production of white pepper Nowadays, it is also made from the dried, unripe berries, which are peeled mechanically. The peels are then processed into pepperoil or added to a lower quality pepper to 'reinforced' pepper' or 'fortified pepper'.
To produce white goods cheaply and on a large scale pepper To produce this, the process is accelerated - especially in Vietnam - by using enzymes that have the property of breaking down the cell wall. The most commonly used, most effective enzyme is pectinase, The complete enzymatic breakdown of the peel by pectinase of the green, fresh pepperbest takes 24 hours in and of the dried pepper (black pepper) 40-45 hours. The treated in this way pepper results in a grayish pepper, which is bleached with peroxide for a more aesthetic result.
In agriculture, the scale of a crop's production is considered a key factor in ensuring consistent quality and a competitive price, partly due to the ability to apply modern agricultural and processing techniques. For small-scale agriculture, these techniques are only feasible with a high degree of organization. Naturally, small-scale cultivation is highly sensitive to changing circumstances, such as climate change.Longer periods of drought, water shortages (lack of rain, dried-up aquifers, lakes, and springs), unpredictable heavy rainfall, flooding, and storms. These farmers are facing more than ever our support necessary.
Education is essential for maintaining small-scale agriculture, as are affordable technical resources. The corporate structure offers small farmers the best opportunity. to remain independent. The corporation can be used to professionalize sales, set up educational projects, and, last but not least, allow the entire community to benefit. The lack of a good organizational structure is a major reason why agriculture in many developing countries is less productive and profitable than elsewhere.
The peppermarket has been in turmoil in recent decades due to the enormous expansion of pepper-area in Vietnam and Brazil, the latter having become one of the main suppliers in a short time. Market prices plummeted, particularly the prices of smaller grains intended for milling. pepper and pepperoil are dramatically low. Many farmers in that segment have therefore gone bankrupt. New plantations are focusing on the production of larger berries and organic pepper.
In various regions we see with great sadness how big Players are building on the success of smallholder farmers, such as in Kampot (especially due to the rise of large organic farms), Cameroon's Penja (the emergence of a parallel market), and Malaysia's Sarawak. In the latter case, the Malaysian government is encouraging on the expansion of the pepperCultivation, which is mainly due to larger companies. Money-driven.
We strive to deliver distinctive products from smaller businesses, often family-owned corporations. We see this as a priority for preserving biodiversity, ensuring the continued existence of small, independent farms, and ensuring a good income for the families involved and local communities, with all the associated benefits.
By purchasing 'on demand', we guarantee you fresh products. Our pepper smells pleasant and is optimally sharp. To maintain this quality, we recommend that you pepper Store in a sealed jar, container, or bag, ideally in a very cool place. This applies to all spices, by the way.
How do you know if your pepper is good?
By smelling and tasting this. A good pepper smells good, tastes good, and is nice and spicy. An old pepper is not only less aromatic, but also less sharp, because the piperine - the sharp substance in pepper - over time and certainly under the influence of light (UV) it has been converted into the virtually odorless and hardly pungent isochavicine.