Open AccessPRODUCTION OF CO 2 AND C 2 H 4 AFTER GAMMA IRRADIATION OF STRAWBERRY FRUIT
Author(s) -
COUTURE R.,
MAKHLOUF J.,
CHEOUR F.,
WILLEMOT C.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of food quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.568
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1745-4557
pISSN - 0146-9428
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-4557.1990.tb00035.x
Subject(s) - postharvest , irradiation , ripening , titratable acid , chemistry , gamma irradiation , horticulture , food irradiation , radiochemistry , food science , biology , physics , nuclear physics
Strawberry fruit (Fragaria ananassa, Duch. cv ‘Kent’) were irradiated at doses from 0 to 4 kGy and stored at 10°C to verify whether irradiation at very low doses could delay postharvest ripening while causing minimal damage to the tissues. CO 2 and C 2 H 4 production were used as stress indicator. Anthocyanins and titratable acidity were measured as maturity parameters. CO 2 and C 2 H 4 production increased six hours after irradiation. The increase in CO 2 production was proportional to the dose of irradiation and was highest at 4 kGy. Maximum C 2 H 4 production was reached at 1 kGy. The different response of CO 2 and C 2 H 4 production to irradiation suggests that the membrane system supporting C 2 H 4 production was more sensitive to gamma rays than mitochondrial CO 2 production. Irradiation at 0.3 kGy slightly delayed color development in the fruit. Overall, the results indicated that it may be possible to use irradiation at a low dose to delay ripening while causing only minimal tissue damage.