In the present investigation the effect of radio-frequency (RF) heating on physico-chemical characteristics and microbial disinfection of red chilli powder was studied. The chilli powder was treated with RF energy (27.12 MHz) at three levels of electrode gaps (100, 125 and 150 mm) and exposure times (10, 15 and 20 min.) for product thickness of 30 mm. The post treatment effect on quality parameters of RF treated chilli powder was observed up to 180 days of storage. There was a significant reduction in the microbial load in RF treated chilli powder whereas, an insignificant change recorded in moisture content (8.40 to 7.95 % w.b), color (a*value: 32.72 to 31.56), ascorbic acid (104.85 to 99.65 mg/100g) and capsaicin content (0.030 to 0.130%) during its storage. The results revealed that the RF treatment with 100 mm electrode gap for 15 min of exposure time was found to be optimum and this could be recommended to the commercial manufacturers of chilli powder for effective disinfection without much changes in its physico-chemical characteristics.