No abstract

The electron spin resonance spectrum of achenes of refrigerated strawberries allows one to assert whether or not the fruit has been irradiated under commercial conditions required to inactivate the moulds responsible for food loss.

Radicals, produced by y-irradiation of sugars in the solid state at different temperatures and in aqueous solution, have been studied by the spintrapping method. High-performance liquid chromatography has been used to separate the nitroxides formed and hence simplify the tota! observed electron spin resonance spectra. Several correlations between radicals formed in cc-and 8-glucose, methyl-1-a-glucose, maltose, sucrose and related compounds are presented.

As the powder ESR spectra and the main radiolytic products from the gamma-irradiated oligomers have been found to be comparable to those from irradiated starches, this work is the first step in the elucidation of the radiolysis mechanism of starch.