Stiftung Warentest Numerous pepper varieties contaminated with pollutants

Pepper is not only a popular spice, but in natural medicine also a healing agent. For example, black pepper can reduce the risk of being overweight. Some of the contained seasonings even inhibit the production of fat cells and thus counteract the development of obesity. But many types of pepper fell through in a recent test. Only half of the varieties tested proved to be "good". Of the ground pepper products even none could achieve a good grade. Five peppers were even contaminated.
Gourmets should always prefer peppercorns for their own mill. The hard shell of the grain preserves the original and spicy taste. If the pepper is already ground, the taste is lost quickly. In an evaluation by Stiftung Warentest about black pepper, almost all peppercorns were sensory. The experts were convinced of the good quality of almost all varieties. For testing, the grains were freshly ground to fresh.

Use peppercorns. Pepper powder performed poorly. Image: Nik_Merkulov - fotolia

The differences between fresh and ready ground pepper are great. In the sensory test almost all peppercorns were convincing: Eight cut "good" in this point, four organic products even "very good" - they are particularly aromatic. In the case of ground pepper, on the other hand, only the two comparatively expensive products score sensory.

The joy of seasoning, however, slows down pollutants, especially mineral oils. In all products, the testers proved saturated mineral oils (MOSH). More worrying about health are aromatic mineral oils (MOAHs), which are suspected of causing cancer. MOAH proved the testers in four products, three times only in traces. Exceptions are the peppercorns of "Lafer. Delicious. Life. "From the product line of star chef Johann Lafer: The pepper is extremely burdened with MOAH. It was found to be about 54 milligrams per kilogram - much more than the testers have ever detected in a food. So far, a grapeseed oil from the test gourmet oils with about 10 milligrams MOAH per kilogram sad leader. But since pepper is consumed only in very small quantities, even this concentration is not acutely dangerous to health. Nevertheless, MOAH and large quantities of MOSH have nothing to look for in food. Two ground peppers in the test are not marketable because of the pollutant load: The testers showed significant amounts of banned ethylene oxide and the highest pesticide residues in the test. Both powders were also exposed to ionizing radiation, which should have been labeled.

The individual results in the overview
The result: Eight cut sensory "good", four are particularly aromatic and reach in appearance, smell and taste a "very good". The best peppercorns are those of Lebensbaum (6 euros, all prices per 100 grams). Also recommended are the cheap by Lidl / Fairglobe (2.49 euros) and the expensive Karstadt Perfetto / Excellent (10 euros). All three bear the EU organic label.
Of the finished powders, only two are sensory "good". Ostermann is located at the front (6,25 Euro). The powder is sensory good, but overall only satisfactory. The powder from Fuchs (7.85 euros) is good in taste, overall satisfactory. Five products cut off due to very high levels of pollutants with "poor": the peppercorns from "Lafer. Delicious. Life "(9,15 Euro), also four times ground pepper - Aldi (North) Portland pepper black (1,38 Euro), Lidl / Kania pepper black (1,38 Euro), Aldi (South) Le Gusto pepper black (1 , 38 Euro) and HES pepper black (1,38 Euro).

Use dear pepper unground
Real gourmets recommend the experts to grind fresh pepper. The Stiftung Warentest has currently tested four electric and 14 manual pepper mills: only four of the mills cut "good", test winner is a hand mill from France. Two of the electrical, however, come up with a "Poor": In the endurance test, which simulates a good five years of use, gave the transmission of the one model relatively quickly, the grinding of the other disguised itself and could not be adjusted after some time. The detailed tests "black pepper" and "pepper mills" appear in the January issue of the magazine test (from today on the kiosk) 

Pepper a healthy spice
According to a Pennsylvania State University study, spices such as black pepper can lower blood lipid levels and insulin production. That's what a study by Pennsylvania State University researchers found. In natural medicine, spices and herbs have always been used as remedies. For example, rosemary is prescribed as a remedy for chronic circulatory disorders. Thyme has an antispasmodic effect and is used in bronchitis and cough. Cloves are considered antibacterial and are used in mouth and computer inflammations. Popularly and scientifically recognized is garlic. Those who eat garlic daily are proven to lower the risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. The garlic is said to have an antibacterial effect. The tuber is most commonly used in fungal diseases. (Sb)