Gamma radiation of fruits to extend market life /

Abstract

BACKGROUND Radiation pasteurization, the use of low doses of ionizing radiation to inhibit microbial spoilage of foodstuffs, has received much attention in recent years. Although microorganisms vary in susceptibility to radiation, complete sterilization of certain processed foods has been achieved through high-dose irradiation. Fresh fruits and vegetables cannot be treated with sterilizing doses, for, being living matter, they, as well as the microorganisms, are susceptible to radiation injury. Consequently, the feasibility of irradiation of these

Quality of apples following gamma irradiation and cold storage

“…Many panelists recorded irradiated apples as sweeter. Bramlage and Couey (1965) have reported that irradiated 'Yellow Newton' apples were sweeter than control, but lacked the characteristic varietal flavour found in fresh fruit.…”

Quality of packaged romaine lettuce hearts exposed to low-dose electron beam irradiation

“…This treatment has been shown to effectively reduce the number of food spoilage organisms and increasing the shelf-life of several fruits and vegetables (Yu, Reitmeier, & Love, 1996;Prakash et al, 2000;Fan et al, 2003). The efficacy of irradiation is not only limited to the surface, but it can penetrate the product and eliminate microorganisms that are present in crevices and creases (significant for vegetables like lettuce) (Prakash et al, 2000); however, irradiation can cause the change of texture or color in fruit and vegetable tissues (Somogyi & Romani, 1964;Bramlage & Lipton, 1965;Howard & Buescher, 1989).…”

The influence of electron beam irradiation of antimicrobial-coated LDPE/polyamide films on antimicrobial activity and film properties

“…However, the use of ionizing radiation for decontamination purposes is limited by undesirable changes in produce quality. Depending upon the dose and dose rate used in a particular treatment, discoloration as well as loss in texture and nutritional qualities may occur (Somogyi & Romani, 1964;Bramlage & Lipton, 1965;Howard & Buescher, 1989;Han, Gomes-Feitosa, Castell-Perez, Moreira, & Silva, 2004). An alternative is to increase the radiation sensitivity of the target pathogens in order to lower required radiation dose and successfully reduce product quality change (Borsa, Lacroix, Ouattara, & Chiasson, 2004).…”