Evaluation of the content of pigments and total sugars in ground sweet paprika

Anotace: The aim of this research was to evaluate and compare the content of pigments and total sugars in raw materials of both the domestic as well as foreign origin that are used in the production of sweet ground pepper. The tests included two samples exported from abroad, specifically from Serbia and China and the following domestic varietes of Capsicum annum L.: Kolora, Žitava, Dvorská (varieties that form the base of the final product called Paprika Žitava/Žitavská paprika and a mix of a number of domestic varieties called Slovenský polotovar. The tests were conducted in 2015 and 2016. The highest content of pigments in both years was contained in Dvorská and Kolora – 6.81 and 6.11 g.kg⁻¹. The largest amount of total sugars was recorded within Žitava in 2015 (20.5%) and in 2016 Slovenský polotovar with 24.5%. Both the exported as well as domestic products fulfilled the parameters of quality required in the production of sweet pepper.