Green plantains (Musa paradisiaca) were gamma‐irradiated in the dose range of 0.04–1 kGy and stored under ambient condition (23 ± 2℃, 70 ± 2% RH) in an environmental chamber. The objectives of the present study were to extend the shelf‐life of plantains and to enhance its contents of bioactive antioxidant molecules (namely serotonin and melatonin) by gamma‐irradiation. Several physicochemical and phytochemical assays conducted with the irradiated samples (and non‐irradiated control set) established 0.04 kGy‐irradiated plantains with a lead of 8 days in shelf‐life to be the “best shelf‐stable”. The plantains when irradiated at 0.6 and 1 kGy had significantly enhanced contents of melatonin (2.45 folds [146.58%]) and serotonin (1.44 folds [44.10%]), respectively. Moreover, in the plantains having highest serotonin (1 kGy‐irradiated on day 10), synergism among the said antioxidants was also preserved. This is the first report on utilization of gamma‐irradiation for enhanced production of phyto‐antioxidants in green plantains. Novelty impact statement Gamma‐irradiation is a well‐known technology of food preservation; however, very few studies have reported on its effectiveness in enhancement of contents of phytoremediator therapeutic molecules present in agricultural produces. This study aims to employ gamma‐irradiation not only for extension of shelf‐life of an agro produce but also aims in exploring its usage for enhancement of contents of bioactive antioxidant molecules of immense therapeutic importance (serotonin and melatonin) in the produce thereby conferring the irradiated agro‐produce to be a potential source of food antioxidants. This study also provides a possible means of valorization of green plantains, post senescence through utilization of completely senesced plantains as potential sources of these biotherapeutic molecules which have promising uses as nutraceutical food‐cum‐therapeutic supplements. Thus, induction of overproduction of phyto‐antioxidants leading to utilization of plantain waste is the novelty of this work.

The seeds of brown mustard-Brassica juncea (BJ) and yellow mustard-Brassica campestris (BC) are principally valued as sources of edible oil and also as condiments. Additionally, the seeds are an important source of antioxidant melatonin (MT) which reportedly has significant anti-cancer, hypoglycaemic (Paul et al., 2021), and hypocholesterolemic properties (Chakraborty & Bhattacharjee, 2017; Li et al., 2017). However, consumption of whole seeds of BJ and BC for the realization of the benefits of the aforementioned biotherapeutic molecule is limited by their high Scoville heat units (SHU) which render strong pungency even to cooked mustard seeds. Additionally, these seeds possess erucic acid as the predominant fatty acid (Chakraborty & Bhattacharjee, 2020) which could be harmful for human consumption. The current investigation, therefore, aimed to obtain MT-rich extracts from BJ and BC seeds for their safe end uses as antioxidant-rich nutraceutical supplements.

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In this study, hydrogenated vegetable fat in cookie is replaced by gamma‐irradiation‐induced (4.2 kGy) deodorized (rancid‐acid odor removed) virgin coconut oil (VCO) with the aim to formulate antioxidant‐rich cookies with good sensory acceptability up to 150 days, vis‐à‐vis the hydrogenated fat‐ and VCO‐formulated cookies. Cookies formulated with hydrogenated fat, non‐irradiated VCO and 4.2 kGy irradiated VCO serve as control, positive control, and sample sets, respectively. Rancidity of three sets of cookies is assessed for a period of 180 days at 25±2°C, ≈75–80% RH using metal oxide gas sensor‐based electronic nose (e‐nose). The best combinations of sensors are selected employing support vector machines analysis to accurately predict rancidity development in the three sets of cookies during storage. Analyses of principal component analysis (PCA) plots of the e‐nose sensor responses reveal that the progression of rancidity in the control and positive control sets of cookies is detected on day 90 and 120, respectively; whereas, the onset of rancidity is detected for sample set of cookies on day 150. Findings of sensory evaluation and e‐nose analyses affirm that the newly formulated cookies can be safely consumed up to 150 days when stored at 25±2 °C, 75–80% RH.  Practical applications: Gamma‐irradiated deodorized VCO successfully enhances storage‐life of drop cookies by more than 60 days vis‐à‐vis its hydrogenated fat counterpart. These newly formulated cookies which can be stored and consumed for a longer period would certainly be more commercially viable. Gamma‐irradiated VCO can also be used as an alternative to hydrogenated fats in preparing similar bakery‐cum‐confectionary products. The methodology developed for assessment of rancidity using electronic nose technology would be extremely useful considering high industrial throughput and can be safely extrapolated to other bakery and confectionary products for accurate assessment of rancidity, forgoing cumbersome biochemical assays.

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