Stability of pigments of paprika [Capsicum annuum] powders during various processing steps

The effects of various technological steps and raw material inhomogeneity on the composition of pigments in paprika (Capsicum annuum) powders were studied by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), using gradient elution technique (various mixtures of water, acetonitrile and methanol) and diodearray detector. The standard deviation of the composition of pigments in the samples taken at different technological stages was lower than among the batches of raw material. This indicates that the technological steps have a negligible effect on the composition of pigments in paprika powder. It was further found that the raw material for the paprika powder manufacture could considerably be inhomogeneous even when harvested on the same field.