2.3.1. Respiration rate
Pepper strips weighing approximately 150 g were placed in hermetically sealed jars. Samples from the headspace were withdrawn through a silicon septum located on each jar with a syringe, at the beginning of the incubation period and after 1 h to allow CO2 accumulation. Gas samples were evaluated with a gas analyzer (Check Mate 9900 O2/CO2; PBI Dansensor; Denmark). Four jars were analyzed for each storage time, ripening stage and gas treatment. Results were expressed as mg CO2 kg−1 h−1.