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GAMMA, ELECTRON BEAM AND ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION ON CONTROL OF STORAGE ROTS AND QUALITY OF WALLA WALLA ONIONS
Author(s) -
LU J. Y.,
STEVENS C.,
YAKUBU P.,
LORETAN P. A.,
EAKIN D.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
journal of food processing and preservation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.511
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 1745-4549
pISSN - 0145-8892
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-4549.1988.tb00066.x
Subject(s) - irradiation , ascorbic acid , sugar , postharvest , reducing sugar , horticulture , chemistry , food science , biology , physics , nuclear physics
ABSTRACT Walla Walla onions were irradiated with doses of 0.1, 0.3, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 kGy of gamma rays; 0.1, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 5.0 kGy of electron beams; or 0.44 × 10 4 1.32 × 10 4 , 3.52 × 10 4 , 7.33 × 10 4 and 19.1 × 10 4 erg/mm± of UV. The onions were stored up to four weeks at 20–25 C. UV irradiated onions exhibited the greatest percentage of marketable onions and reduction in postharvest rots. Sprouting was obsened with control, UV and electron beam irradiated onions but not with gamma irradiated onions. Effect of gamma, electron beams and UV on pH, moisture, ascorbic acid and color were not significant. Onions became soft with the high dose of gamma radiation (3.0 kGy). Total sugar content was not affected by UV and electron beam but tended to be greatest at the 1.0 kGy gamma radiation. The effect of the radiation on the onion sensory scores was not clearly indicated except that 3.0 kGy gamma ray irradiated onions had the lowest firmness score.