Abstract
To evaluate the effect of 60Co-γ irradiation sterilization technology on the chemical composition of saffron, we collected 10 batches of saffron samples and treated them with different irradiation doses. UPLC characteristic chromatogram showed that there was no significant effect of irradiation on 13 common peak areas. The results of cluster analysis and principal component analysis showed that there were no differences in the chemical composition in nonirradiated and irradiated samples. UPLC/Q-TOF-MS identified 40 characteristic components of saffron, and the results showed that all of these were detected in the saffron samples both with and without irradiation. Irradiation doses at or below 10 kGy had no significant effect on the chemical components of saffron. This provides a sound basis for the use of 60Co-γ ray irradiation sterilization technology during the preparation of original powder saffron as a medicinal herb, for the effective destruction of mycotoxin contamination.
Highlights
Mold is a major cause of deterioration during the harvest and storage of food and medicinal plants
The specific application of irradiation sterilization technology on medicinal herbs needs to be considered based on the characteristics of each species
We collected 10 batches of saffron samples and treated them with different irradiation doses to evaluate the effect on chemical composition of the samples
Summary
Mold is a major cause of deterioration during the harvest and storage of food and medicinal plants. Effect of irradiation on chemical composition and some other aspects of some medicinal herbs has been studied [4,5,6,7,8,9]. Cobalt 60 (60Co-c) irradiation technology is an effective method for the decontamination of food and medicines from both insect infestation and mycotoxin contamination. It works by destroying the microbes in a sample and by damaging the DNA material in living organisms. Irradiation is widely used in the manufacture of traditional Chinese medicines for the control of mycotoxin contamination, including in saffron preparations. We collected 10 batches of saffron samples and treated them with different irradiation doses to evaluate the effect on chemical composition of the samples. UPLC/Q-TOF-MS was used for the identification of the chemical characteristic components of the saffron samples with and without irradiation
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