The question of paprika quality has been a part of local folklore since the socialist era. At Spizing, we prefer facts over myths, and it is time to finally provide clear answers regarding the reality behind this beloved spice.
The “Ground Brick” Myth
There is a long-standing story that commercial paprika is padded with ground tiles and bricks. This urban legend stems from a real criminal case in the early 1970s, when a warehouse manager in the Plovdiv region was caught filling inventory gaps with bags of ground bricks. It is important to note that this material never reached the retail market; in fact, the quality of paprika at that time was generally excellent due to high export demands.
How is Quality Determined?
The quality of paprika is assessed using two complementary methods:
- Organoleptic: Evaluation through color, taste, and aroma.
- Spectral Analysis (ASTA): Measuring the yellow component in red light at a wavelength of $460nm$.
The ASTA Standard
The ASTA rating is the globally recognized industrial standard. Use the following table to guide your purchase:
| ASTA Value | Quality Level | Characteristics |
| 160 – 180 | Premium | Professional grade; exceptional color and deep aroma. |
| 130 – 140 | High Quality | The standard for high-end industrial production. |
| 60 – 90 | Mass Market | Typical supermarket products. |
| Below 60 | Low Quality | Not recommended; lacks flavor and color. |
Note: You will rarely find ASTA ratings printed on consumer packaging because the parameter changes over time, especially if the product is exposed to light in glass jars or transparent bags.
What Drives High Quality?
Everything starts with the raw material. To achieve a rating above 180 ASTA, several strict conditions must be met:
- Use of perfectly ripe peppers with a robust aroma.
- Drying to a precise moisture content of 6-8%.
- Complete removal of seeds, stems, and skins.
- Heating to 50°C and grinding in a specific 5-step process.
Grinding whole peppers (including stems and seeds) typically results in a rating around 130 ASTA and adds a slight beige undertone to the red. The cheapest versions (60–120 ASTA) often include “spent” peppers—those from which the red pigment has already been extracted for use as food coloring in other industries.
How to Spot Adulterations
Unfortunately, various methods are used to artificially “enhance” low-quality products:
- Tomato Skins: Dried and ground tomato skins (waste from the canning industry) are added to increase volume in the cheapest imitations.
- Dyes: Added for color, but easily detected in labs because they do not change the real ASTA spectral result.
- Fats: Added to “freshen” the color of old paprika and increase its bulk weight.
The At-Home Purity Test
You can easily test your paprika at home: stir one tablespoon into 100 ml of hot water.
- If small, stick-like particles float to the surface, the paprika contains foreign additives.
- If oily spots appear on the surface, dyes or added fats were likely used to mask the age of the spice.
In the end, the rule remains simple: there is no such thing as high-quality, cheap paprika!