http://www.rirdc.gov.au/programs/new-rural-industries/new-plant-products/rirdc-projects-and-results/project-details.cfm?project_id=PRJ-004427

Protective effects of polygodial on gastric mucosal lesions induced by necrotizing agents in rats and the possible mechanisms of action.
Pongpiriyadacha Y, Matsuda H, Morikawa T, Asao Y, Yoshikawa M.
Biol Pharm Bull. 2003 May;26(5):651-7.
Protective effects of polygodial and related compounds on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal lesions in rats: structural requirements and mode of action.
Matsuda H, Pongpiriyadacha Y, Morikawa T, Kashima Y, Nakano K, Yoshikawa M.
Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2002 Feb 11;12(3):477-82.

It is frost hardy, although late frosts can adversely affect fruit survival. While Tasmannia lanceolata is very drought sensitive, it also does poorly on waterlogged or poorly drained sites, as it has a very simple root and transport system.Propagation
Most plantations have been established using rooted cuttings, to improve uniformity, and to speed up the establishment process.

Seed germination is extremely slow, and the resulting plants are slow to establish, vulnerable, and exhibit the natural variation in habit, gender and vigour. Commercial native plant nurseries in SE states will stock the species for the ornamental market, and a good propagator should be able to produce rooted plants within about 4 months of striking cuttings.
Plants should be well established before planting – at least as tubeline stock, but preferably in 75 – 100mm pot sizes, as small plants are prone to early mortality.

Early weed control, by mulching or hand weeding is essential, and provision of irrigation water is necessary in any but the coolest, dampest situations.

Side dressings of nitrogenous fertiliser give good response, but much work remains to be done on the nutritional requirements of the plant under cultivation.

All harvesting is presently undertaken by hand, with simple pruning aids employed for leaf harvest, although mechanical harvest of fruit and leaf should not present great diifficulty in a plantation situation. Berries should be harvested when most of the fruit is fully ripe and black – often the appearance on the plant is deceptive, and berries appear uneven and brown when dried if not fully ripe at harvest- they do not ripen further after picking. (see images above)

Processing
Foliage is dried under controlled conditions, usually using warm air driers, after which leaf is stripped from stems, inspected, packed and stored in dry, dark storage.

Dry leaf retains its quality for up to 12 months in good storage, but quickly deteriorates (loses colour, flavour and freshness) if exposed to light or allowed to rehydrate. Leaf is usually sold as a ground product, by specification, and is best milled to order, to retain maximum shelf life.
Berries should be chilled after harvest to maximise shelf life, but ideally, drying should commence as soon as possible.

While there is a small market for fresh (or frozen) berries, most fruit is dried, using warm dry air, avoiding high temperatures which can ‘stew’ the fruit, or by freeze drying at very low temperatures. These two processes result in very different products, suited to different end uses.
All leaf and berry drying should aim to reduce moisture content to less than 7% of the total product weight, as quickly as possible without damaging the product.
Low moisture content is one of the most important means of controlling spoilage and microbial development.

Pepper leaf and berry have some ‘inbuilt’ resistance to yeast and mould development, but incompletely dry fruit will invariably develop substantial burden of both, seriously reducing the quality and marketability of the product.

Quality Issues
For pepper leaf, usually supplied milled or ground, the important quality indicators are colour (kakhi to bright green), flavour and pungency and minimal levels of visible twig material. Fineness of grind can also vary, and may be a question of specification or buyer preference.

For berries (airdried), uniformity of colour (black), complete absence of foreign material including attached pedicels, (an indicator of premature harvest) and clean, fresh smell (no trace of mouldy or yeasty notes) are the main factors to look for. Berries should be completely dry, and as hard as gravel to the feel – roughly indicating a minimum of 92-94% dry matter.
For freezedried pepperberries, colour (magenta-purple) and dryness are the main issues – dry beeries are firm and break apart between the fingers to form a crumbly powder. The sample should have very few broken or damaged fruit and a minimum of off colour or shrivelled berries.

Author: Chris Read.
Contributors: Sibylla Hess-Buschmann, Rus Glover.
.
The Commonwealth of Australia, the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), the authors or contributors expressly disclaim, to the maximum extent permitted by law, all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any act or omission, or for any consequences of any such act or omission, made in reliance on the contents of this publication, whether or not caused by any negligence on the part of the Commonwealth of Australia, RIRDC, ANFIL, the authors or contributors.

The Commonwealth of Australia does not necessarily endorse the views in this publication.
This publication is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved. However, wide dissemination is encouraged. Requests and inquiries concerning use of material should be made to research@anfil.org.au