Firmness of the fruits was measured using a texture analyzer
(TAHDi, Stable Microsystems, Godalming, UK) loaded with
Texture Expert software (Version 1.22; Stable Microsystems,
Godalming, UK) and 25 kg load cell. The firmness was
measured (n = 3) by cutting the chillies exactly at the geometric
centre with a Warner-Bratzler Blade at a test speed of
(0.05 cm s1) with automatic return. The pre-test and posttest
speeds were set at (0.2 cm s1).