Lifecycle of Dry Red Chilli
There is a lot of love for chilli and is one of the most sought after even after the myth surrounding it to be harmful for the taste buds.
Chilli or capsicum or capsicum annuum has been a part of human diet since a long time originating from as old as 7500 years, origins of which can be traced back to Peru, Bolivia, Central Mexico and the Amazons, from where it then spread to Europe, and the rest of the world. In today's world there are estimated to be more than 5000 varieties, but the five important varieties are Capsicum annuum, Capsicum chinense, Capsicum baccatum, Capsicum frutescens and Capsicum pubescens, with India being the top producer with exports as high as 1.3B USD in 2022-23 and annual production of 1.38il MT of which around 22% is dried, Byadgi, Kashmiri, Teja, Sannam and Guntur Chilli etc, are some of the major varieties high in demand with prices ranging from 1USD - 7USD / kg and over, it is followed by Thailand, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan etc. A typical chilli plant takes between 150 - 180 days to to be harvest ready, during the flowering season majority of the flowers blooms at 5am, the days required for flowering of a chilli crop mainly depends upon the cultivar, temperature, light intensity and duration, soil moisture, fertility status and the age of the seedling during plantation, the percentage of fruit in a chilli crop ranges from around 20% of the flowers produced. Seeds start developing 15 days after anthesis, fruits attain full maturity around 35 days after anthesis and the fruit colour turns from green, red or purple depending on variety, after harvest it can weigh between 1-300g depending on variety, which is then cleaned, sun, air, dehydrator or oven dried, powered and packed or packed directly and shipped depending on the destination & requirement. The global demand for chilli is on the rise at a CAGR of 6.11%, but why as to the chili is so loved is due to its effects, acting as a trigger in the release of endorphins and dopamine in the body, when the capsaicin touches the tongue it causes false perception alerting the defense mechanisms in the body of a fire, these sensations cause the body to activate its cooling systems, mucous membranes go overdrive, body temperature increases producing sweat by tricking the overheat mechanisms, the brain releases endorphins and dopamine to tackle the sensation causing a spike in alertness and good feeling, since there is no real burning and just a sensation that is being mimicked, the taste buds are not caused any harm. The measure of heat or pungency of a chilli is in the scoville scale and it ranges from 100 SHU to 2.8mil SHU, some of the lowest to highest are, kashmiri chilli: 1k-2k SHU, Bydagi: 5k-15k SHU, Teja: 60k-110k SHU, Scotch bonner: 200k SHU, Habanero pepper: 350K SHU, Bhoot Jolokia: 970k SHU, Carolina reaper: 2200k SHU, Pepper X: 2693k SHU.