Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an improved process for the production of white pepper from fresh and dried black pepper berries (Piper nigrum L). This leads to the production of superior quality white pepper from fresh and dried pepper within a short period of time. The product has the additional advantage of better quality compared to the traditional one with respect to berry colour, piperine and oil content.
Background of Invention and Description of Prior Art
India, though a major pepper producing country in the world, is placed far behind to Indonesia, Malaysia and Brazil in terms of white pepper production. Annual white pepper production of India is in the range of 150-200 MT only as against a world demand estimate of 1,55,000 MT per annum. Total annual white pepper production of the world is in the range of 30,000 to 40,000 MT. In all the major pepper producing countries, retting process which takes about two weeks is usually adopted to produce white pepper from fully ripened pepper berries [Pruthi, J.S., Spices and Condiments: Chemistry, Microbiology, Technology, 193p, Advances in Food Research, Suppl.4, Academic Press, London, U.K.(1980)].
Various methods are reported in literature to produce white pepper from green and black pepper. Reference may be made to the traditional retting process [Lewis, Y.S., Nambudiri, E.S., Krishnamurthy, N. and Natarajan, C.P., White Pepper, Pef. Essent. Oil Rec.,60,53p ( 1969)] wherein white pepper is prepared by the method in which the despiked matured green berries or graded black pepper berries are loosely filled in gunny bags or knitted nylon bags of 25-50 kg capacity and are soaked in flowing water stream or river water for 2-3 weeks.
Soaking of pepper in concrete tanks for removal of skin has also been done by industries, which takes more than 9 days [Sudharsan, M.R., White Pepper, a simple value addition to pepper, Spice India, 13(6), (2000)]. The drawbacks are (1) it is a time consuming process (2) retting leads to fading of colour and (3) development of off flavours due to growth of putrefactive organisms.

A milling technique by which the black hulls are removed from the pepper berries to obtain the intact white inner core is also known. However, the product is not as attractive in colour as the white pepper product made from ripe pepper and also the surface is not uniform. In another approach, the skin of black pepper is mechanically removed by selective grinding technique to get white pepper powder and this method makes use of changes in composition which will lead to physical changes when pepper is ground. By this method, the skin is separated without much damage and can be used for extraction purposes [Thomas, P.P., Nirmala Menon, A., Bhat, A.V. and Mathew, A.G., Selective grinding as basis for separating white pepper, J. of Food Sci. & Technol.vol.24(6),306p (1987)].
A process for making 'buff coloured' whole pepper is also reported by arresting enzyme action followed by bleaching [Lewis, Y.S., Nambudiri, E.S., Krishnamurthy, N., Sankarikutty, B., Sivashankar, S. and Mathew, A.G., Need for growing pepper cultivars to suit pepper products, Indian Spices 13,4p(1976)]. While the weight loss due to skin portion has been prevented in this process, the product does not meet the required specifications and the method yields only 27%of white pepper by dry weight.
Another method to prepare white pepper consists of burrying the ripe pepper berries in damp ground for about 5 days whereby the skin is degraded by microorganisms. But the collection of ripe berries is impractical as the farmers are unwilling to leave the berries for ripening to red which results in loss of berries due to shattering and picking by birds. White pepper is also prepared by cooking freshly harvested berries in boiling water for 10-15 minutes followed by skin removal in a pulper [Lewis, Y.S., Neelakantan, S., Philip, J. and Nambudiri, E.S., Production of white pepper in India, Spices Bull. 5(6),6p (1968)]. Gelatinization of starch in pepper and loss of essential oil constituents are the major problems associated with this method.
A chemical process for white pepper has been patented which consists of steeping the dried pepper berries in water for 4 days followed by treating it with 4% sodium hydroxide

solution and boiling to remove the skin by agitation with stirring. The process involves usage of high concentration of alkali and has not been tried commercially [Josi, D.G., White Pepper, Indian Patent, 70,439(1962)]. Another chemical process reported involves boiling the dried black pepper berries in concentrated acid solution followed by skin removal. The product obtained in the process is inferior in quality with respect to colour and flavour characteristics. The major drawbacks of the process are that the product yield is very low and due to partial leaching out of the inner core the berries are mostly broken light yellow splits and the original flavour characteristics are lost under the drastic process conditions [Sreedhara.N. ,Damodaran,A.D., Narayanan.C.S. and Nirmala Menon, A., An Improved Process for making White Pepper, Indian Patent NF/18/1989].
Fermentation with cellulase producing bacteria has also been experimented to make white pepper [Thankamony, V., Nirmala Menon,A., Omanakutty Amma, M., Sreedharan, V.P. and Narayanan, C.S., Bacterial removal of skin from pepper, Spice India, 9,1 Op (1999)]. Limitations of this method include the requirement of expensive growth medium for the bacterium and long time aeration. Another bacterial skin removal method for producing white pepper from fresh and black pepper was tried where isolation of four bacterial strains is required for the skin degradation [Gopinath, K.M. and Manilal, V.B., White pepper preparation through bacterial fermentation, Spice India, 1,10p(2005)]. However, the processing time is long and also the method recommends expensive growth medium for the bacterial isolation and hence is not economically viable for commercial application.
Thus, in all the known methods reported till now to produce white pepper from fresh and dried pepper berries, the product obtained is inferior in quality with respect to colour and flavour and the recommended minimum processing time of about 2-3 weeks is too long to retain the original quality characteristics of pepper. Methods reported other than the retting process are quite expensive and have thus no commercial relevance.

Objects of the Invention
Therefore the main objective of the present invention is to provide an improved process
for the production of white pepper from fresh and dried pepper berries which obviates
the drawbacks as detailed above.
Another object is to provide a process which is cost effective for processing black
pepper and fresh green pepper into white pepper.
Still another object is to provide a process which is accomplished in very short time of
12 to 14 hrs as against 2-3 weeks in the traditional method.
Yet another object is to provide a process in which the steps are simple and the
chemicals used are not expensive and are easily available.
A further object is to provide a process that is economically feasible and hence can be
widely adopted by industries/growers.
Summary of the Invention
Accordingly, the present invention provides an improved process for the production of
white pepper from fresh and dried black pepper berries (Piper nigrum L), wherein the process steps comprises:
(a) soaking the pre-cleaned and pre-dried black pepper berries in a dilute
solution [0.5 to 1 % ] of alkali for a period of 10 to 16 hours;
(b) blanching the soaked pepper berries for 20 to 30 minutes followed by
decortication;
(c) bleaching the decorticated pepper berries obtained from step (b) with 3 to 5
% hydrogen peroxide for a period of 20 to 24 hours at a temperature
ranging from 30 to 40 degree C;
(d) drying the bleached pepper berries obtained from step (c) at a temperature
ranging from 40 to 50 degree C for a period of 3 to 4 hours to obtain the
desired white pepper.

In an embodiment of the present invention, air classification/sieving/ floatation technique
can effectively be adopted for the removal of light berries.
In another embodiment the present invention relates to soaking/blanching the berries in
dilute alkaline solution.
In yet another embodiment the present invention relates to blanching the berries to
loosen the skin.
In still another embodiment the present invention relates to bleaching of the berries to
get a uniform clean white product.
In a further embodiment of the present invention dehusking of the pepper was done in a
pulper /hand brushing.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the berries are sun-dried or
mechanically dried at around 50° C.
In another embodiment of the present invention, essential oil may be recovered in the
process from the skin portion by simple distillation or hydro-distillation method.
Detailed Description of the Invention
The following procedure has been developed for the processing of white pepper from dry black/fresh green pepper. In this process, the pepper is boiled with dilute alkali solution until the skin could be slipped from the kernels and the loosened skin removed by passing the berries through a pulping machine. When dried black pepper is the starting material, the light berries, pin heads are removed by floatation / sieving process and dipped in alkali solution, boiled and then transferred to a pulping machine to remove the skin. The berries are washed with water to remove the skin, polyphenol etc. It is then bleached with a dilute solution of H202 /SO2 and dried in a cross-flow drier at 50°C or sun dried to get the final product. When fresh green pepper is the starting material, the berries are cleaned, boiled in dilute alkali, deskinned, bleached and dried in a cross-flow drier/sun.
The traditional retting process takes about 2-3 weeks and retting leads to the development of off flavours. Other methods of decortication.viz. steaming or boiling, chemical, enzymatic/ microbial methods produce only inferior quality products and also

these methods are not economically feasible. By the present method, decortication of black/green pepper to produce white pepper is made possible within a short period of time and the process is found to be economically feasible.
The skin portion which constitutes about 25% of the whole dry berry weight removed in the green/dried pepper processing to get the white pepper product can be utilised to get the essential oil in about 1 % yield on dry weight basis. The oil is almost similar in flavour characteristics to that from whole pepper.
The following examples are given by way of illustration of present invention and therefore should not be construed to limit the scope of the present invention.
Example 1
1 kg of Tellicherry Garbled Extra Bold (TGEB) grade black pepper (12% moisture
content), after removal of light berries by flotation method, was dipped in 0.5% caustic
soda solution for 12-16 hrs. Then boiled for 20 min and peeled in a pulping machine to
remove the skin portion. The pepper was then washed and bleached with 5% hydrogen
peroxide for 6 hrs, again, washed and dried in a cross-flow drier at 50°C. The
percentage yield of decorticated pepper obtained was 72% and the colour of the
product was comparable to the commercial product.
Example 2
2 kg dried black pepper having a moisture content of 13%, procured from the local
market, was air classified to remove the light pepper and then soaked overnight in 1 %
sodium hydroxide solution. The berries were then boiled for 10 min and peeled in a
pulper, washed and bleached with 3% hydrogen peroxide solution overnight, again
washed and dried in the sun. The yield of white pepper was 68%. The colour of the
product obtained was better than commercial product.
Example 3
4 kg of Tellicherry Garbled Special Extra Bold (TGSEB) grade pepper was dipped in water to remove the light berries and soaked in 0.75% potassium hydroxide solution

overnight. Then blanched by steam for 10 min and decorticated in a pulping machine.The berries were then washed and bleached with 4% hydrogen peroxide solution for 10 hrs and cross-flow dried at 50°C. The yield of the pepper was 60% and the colour of the product obtained was satisfactory.
Example 4
One kg of matured green pepper of 72% moisture content was despiked, cleaned and dipped in water to remove the light berries. Then the pepper was boiled with 0.2% caustic soda solution for 1 min. Removed the skin by hand scrubbing and washed and bleached with 3% hydrogen peroxide solution overnight. The berries were then washed and sun dried. The yield of white pepper was 22% and the product obtained was slightly greenish in colour.
Example 5
2 kg of ripe green pepper berries of 70% moisture content was despiked, cleaned and washed to remove the light berries and then boiled in 0.5% potassium hydroxide solution for 5 min. The skin was removed by passing through a pulper, washed and bleached with 4% hydrogen peroxide solution overnight. The berries were then washed and cross-flow dried at 50°C. The yield of the product was 24%. The colour of the product obtained was better than the commercial product.
The main advantages of the present invention are:
1. The process is cost effective for processing black pepper and fresh green pepper
into white pepper.
2. Product obtained from green and black pepper by this process conforms to the
quality specifications of its commercial counterpart with respect to the essential
oil and piperine contents and color.

3. Unlike in the case of retting process there is no off-flavour development in this
process.
4. Only very short time of 12-14 hrs. is required for this process as against 2-3
weeks in the traditional method.
5. Since the process steps are simple and the chemicals used are not expensive
and are easily available, the process is economically feasible and hence can be
widely adopted by industries/growers.
6. Since dry black pepper is available throughout the year, availability of the raw
material poses no problem for the process. In growing areas, according to
consumer requirements, fresh green pepper available during the season can also
be processed into the white pepper product by this process.

We Claim:
1. An improved process for the production of white pepper from fresh and dried
black pepper berries (Piper nigrum L), wherein the process steps comprises:
(a) soaking the pre-cleaned and pre-dried black pepper berries in a dilute
solution [0.5 to 1 % ] of alkali for a period of 10 to 16 hours;
(b) blanching the soaked pepper berries for 20 to 30 minutes followed by
decortication;
(c) bleaching the decorticated pepper berries obtained from step (b) with 3 to
5 % hydrogen peroxide for a period of 20 to 24 hours at a temperature
ranging from 30 to 40 degree C;
(d) drying the bleached pepper berries obtained from step (c) at a
temperature ranging from 40 to 50 degree C for a period of 3 to 4 hours
to obtain the desired white pepper.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cleaning of the dried black pepper
berries is effected by sieving and/or flotation method.
3. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the decortication is done either by hand
scrubbing or using a pulper.
4. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bleached berries are dried
mechanically or under sun.
5. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein essential oils can be recovered by
steam distillation or hydrodistillation from the skin portion of the berries obtained
in the decortication step.

6. An improved process for the production of white pepper from fresh and dried black pepper berries (Piper nigrum L) substantially as herein described with reference to the foregoing examples.

We Claim:
1. An improved process for the production of white pepper from fresh and dried
black pepper berries (Piper nigrum L), wherein the process steps comprises:
(a) soaking the pre-cleaned and pre-dried black pepper berries in a dilute
solution [0.5 to 1 % ] of alkali for a period of 10 to 16 hours;
(b) blanching the soaked pepper berries for 20 to 30 minutes followed by
decortication;
(c) bleaching the decorticated pepper berries obtained from step (b) with 3 to
5 % hydrogen peroxide for a period of 20 to 24 hours at a temperature
ranging from 30 to 40 degree C;
(d) drying the bleached pepper berries obtained from step (c) at a
temperature ranging from 40 to 50 degree C for a period of 3 to 4 hours
to obtain the desired white pepper.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cleaning of the dried black pepper
berries is effected by sieving and/or flotation method.
3. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the decortication is done either by hand
scrubbing or using a pulper.
4. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bleached berries are dried
mechanically or under sun.
5. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein essential oils can be recovered by
steam distillation or hydrodistillation from the skin portion of the berries obtained
in the decortication step.

6. An improved process for the production of white pepper from fresh and dried black pepper berries (Piper nigrum L) substantially as herein described with reference to the foregoing examples.

We Claim:
1. An improved process for the production of white pepper from fresh and dried
black pepper berries (Piper nigrum L), wherein the process steps comprises:
(a) soaking the pre-cleaned and pre-dried black pepper berries in a dilute
solution [0.5 to 1 % ] of alkali for a period of 10 to 16 hours;
(b) blanching the soaked pepper berries for 20 to 30 minutes followed by
decortication;
(c) bleaching the decorticated pepper berries obtained from step (b) with 3 to
5 % hydrogen peroxide for a period of 20 to 24 hours at a temperature
ranging from 30 to 40 degree C;
(d) drying the bleached pepper berries obtained from step (c) at a
temperature ranging from 40 to 50 degree C for a period of 3 to 4 hours
to obtain the desired white pepper.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cleaning of the dried black pepper
berries is effected by sieving and/or flotation method.
3. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the decortication is done either by hand
scrubbing or using a pulper.
4. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bleached berries are dried
mechanically or under sun.
5. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein essential oils can be recovered by
steam distillation or hydrodistillation from the skin portion of the berries obtained
in the decortication step.

6. An improved process for the production of white pepper from fresh and dried black pepper berries (Piper nigrum L) substantially as herein described with reference to the foregoing examples.