Abstract

This study investigated the effects of low-dose electron beam irradiation treatment on the physicochemical and sensorial properties of imported navel oranges during storage at 20°C for 12 days. The samples were irradiated at doses of 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 kGy, after which changes in color value, hardness, Brix/acid ratio, total sugar contents, reducing sugar contents, vitamin C contents, and sensory evaluation were investigated. There were no significant differences between non-irradiated and irradiated samples in terms of color value, Brix/acid ratio, total sugar contents, total reducing sugar contents, and vitamin C contents. Hardness of irradiated samples significantly decreased in the early storage period in an irradiation dose-independent manner, and the difference between non-irradiated and irradiated samples decreased again at the end of storage. For the sensory evaluation, there was no significant difference between non-irradiated and irradiated samples up to 0.6 kGy, and all sensory item scores decreased at the end of the storage period regardless of irradiation. These results suggest that electron beam irradiation below 0.6 kGy does not affect physicochemical and sensory properties during storage at 20°C. Thus, electron beam irradiation up to 0.6 kGy applied to imported navel oranges is the optimum dose for minimizing quality changes and disinfestation treatment.

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