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Gamma irradiation of clove: level of trapped radicals and effects on bioactive composition
Author(s) -
Gaspar Elvira M,
Santana José C,
Santos Pedro MP,
Telo João P,
Vieira Abel JSC
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.9351
Subject(s) - irradiation , radical , food irradiation , electron paramagnetic resonance , chemistry , composition (language) , aroma , shelf life , food science , acetic acid , gamma irradiation , mass spectrometry , organoleptic , chemical composition , food preservation , radiochemistry , organic chemistry , chromatography , nuclear magnetic resonance , linguistics , physics , philosophy , nuclear physics
BACKGROUND Food irradiation is a widely used technique for improving the safety and shelf life of foods, including most spices. However, growing concerns by consumers about this technique require further investigation on the effects of radiation, both on the safety of the food and on its organoleptic properties. In this work, cloves of diverse origins were submitted to different irradiation doses in a 60 Co source. The presence of trapped radicals and their time‐dependent decay after irradiation were assessed by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. The volatile bioactive composition and the clove oil were evaluated before and after irradiation by gas chromatography time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. RESULTS Results show an increase of the amount of volatiles collected after irradiation, especially of caryophyllene oxide and acetic acid, although these are still minor constituents. No new compound was detected after irradiation. Radicals decay fast, and 60 days after irradiation they were undetectable by ESR. CONCLUSION Gamma irradiation showed to be a clean technique for clove decontamination, since no significant change in the aroma or oil compositions was found, and low levels of trapped paramagnetic species, after the initial decay period, were detected upon irradiation. Furthermore, irradiation doses higher than those legally allowed are equally safe. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry