Agronomic, physicochemical, and sensory characteristics of fruit of Biquinho pepper cultivated with liquid biofertilizer

Abstract Biquinho pepper has been gaining prominence on the national scene because of its sweet taste and low pungency. This study evaluated the effect of liquid biofertilizer on the quality of the Biquinho pepper. Three treatments were tested: Biquinho pepper with mineral fertilizer (T1), biofertilizer (T2), and control (without fertilizer) (T3), totalizing 12 plots. The agronomic parameters were evaluated, as well as those regarding fruit and plant production, physicochemical characteristics (chlorophyll; humidity; titrable acidity; soluble solids; pH, firmness, ascorbic acid, instrumental color), and sensory analysis. For the production parameters (fruit weight and mass), the treatment using liquid biofertilizer was superior compared to the others. Regarding the dimensional variables of the fruit (length, diameter, mass, and wall thickness), the control presented significantly inferior results, besides lower chlorophyll content. The peppers produced using mineral fertilizer presented higher acidity contents, together with the control, and lower pH. There was no significant difference among the treatments regarding the contents of humidity, soluble solids, firmness, and ascorbic acid. Regarding instrumental color, only the attribute chroma (color saturation) of the fruit from the control treatment presented superior values. In terms of size and crunchy texture, the fruit from the treatment with biofertilizer presented the greatest sums, but not interfering in preference. The liquid biofertilizer was observed as a satisfactory alternative for Biquinho pepper production.