3.4. Firmness
Firmness is one of the most important parameters for chillies
with regard to consumer acceptance. Firmness was found to
decrease significantly ( p < 0.05) during storage period. Type of
packaging also affected significantly ( p < 0.05) the firmness of
chillies during storage (Table 1). The un-packed fruits (control)
lost moisture and became shrivelled leading to loss of firmness
at the end of the storage period. The radicals (superoxide and
nitric oxide) generated by aerobic respiration loosen the cell