Pepper

Pepper crop is native to South Asia and largely produced as black pepper which is the dried whole fruit. Pepper is largely produced as black pepper which is the dried whole fruit. White pepper is produced by removing outer pericarp and pepper is also available in crushed and ground forms. A small amount of green and ripened pepper is pickled in brine and dehydrated green pepper and preserved red pepper also traded. Pepper oil and oleoresins are also extracted marketed as value-added products.

Major growing areas in SL

In Sri Lanka pepper is mainly cultivated in Low and Mid country Wet and Intermediate agro-climatic zones. The total extent of pepper in Sri Lanka is about 42,989 ha and Matale, Kandy, Kegalle, Badulla, Ratnapura, Monaragala, and Kurunegala are the major districts.
Pepper is mainly used as a spice and flavoring agent in the food industry. It also has industrial uses in perfumery and pharmaceutical industries.

Varieties

Although the origin of black pepper is believed to be Malabar Coast of India, Sri Lanka too is a home to a number of wild pepper types. When considering the huge genetic variability of P. nigrum L. found in Sri Lanka and the presence of pepper wild relatives, it is believed that Sri Lanka also a place of origin of pepper.

Harvesting and Post-Harvest Practices

Pepper is harvested after 7-8 months of maturity. To separate berries, peppercorns are threshed manually or by using a mechanical thresher. Pepper berries can be directly dried under the sun or can use artificial dryers. Sun drying takes 4-6 days. To get a uniform black color, blanching of raw pepper is done by immersing berries in boiling water for about 03 minutes. Blanching reduces drying time by 2-3 days and also kills any microorganism presence. To produce white pepper fully ripened berries are immersed in water for about 5-6 days until the seed coat get rotten. Then the seed coat is removed by rubbing on a wire mesh or using mechanical decorticator. Remaining pepper seeds are thoroughly washed and dried to produce white pepper. In addition to that green pepper, Rose/Red pepper, ground pepper, pepper oil, pepper oleoresin & pepper source and pepper toffee & jujubes like value added products also can be produced.

Standard Quality Specifications

Quality standards approved by the Sri Lanka Standard Institute are given below

Medicinal and Chemical Properties

Bioperine is a standardized extract from the fruits of black pepper (Piper nigrum) or long pepper (Piper longum). Its piperine content is 95% or more, compared to only 3-9% found in raw forms of these peppers. Black pepper extract, containing Bioperine has been used extensively in Ayurvedic medicine to treat fevers, digestive disorders, urinary difficulties, rheumatism, neuralgia and boils. Bioperine enhances the bioavailability of nutrients. Due to its ability to increase the absorption of nutrients comprising nutritional supplement formulations, Bioperine has been termed a natural thermo-nutrient and bioavailability enhancer.