Electron Beam Irradiation Treatment Research Articles

Effect of electron beam irradiation treatment on microstructure, physicochemical properties, and bioactive content of areca nut.

Electron beam irradiation treatment is a novel technology that uses low-dose ionizing radiation for the treatment of crops or food to enhance their quality. This study investigated the effects of electron beam irradiation on the microstructure, physicochemical properties, and bioactive compounds of areca nuts. As the irradiation dose increased, the cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin content in the areca nuts decreased significantly, whereas the polysaccharide and pectin content increased gradually. The hardness, chewiness, and adhesiveness of areca nuts reached their lowest values when the irradiation dose was within the range of 6-9 kGy, indicating that irradiation effectively reduced the hardness of the areca nut fibers. The decrease in crystallinity led to the formation of loose structures in the fibers upon irradiation, thereby improving their water retention, expansion, and oil-holding capacity, which are beneficial for the subsequent processing of areca nut-based chewable products. The water- and oil-holding capacities of the areca nuts peaked when the irradiation dose was within the 6-9 kGy range. Electron irradiation also affected the content of active substances in the areca nuts, particularly alkaloids, flavonoids, and polyphenols, showing an overall trend of initial increase followed by subsequent decrease. Electron irradiation was not only effective in softening the fibers but it also impacted the overall quality of the areca nuts significantly. The results provide valuable reference data for improving the quality of areca nuts through electron beam irradiation technology. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Glycosylated gelatin prepared based on electron beam irradiation and its physicochemical properties

The influence of electron beam irradiation (EBI) treatment on the modification of gelatin-galactose glycosylation was thoroughly examined. The results of the degree of grafting and browning revealed that EBI triggered the glycosylation reaction of gelatin. The degree of glycosylation exhibited a gradual increase with the rising irradiation dose, reaching a maximum of 25 kGy. Moreover, the irradiation process opened up gelatin's internal structure, exposing its hydrophobic groups. This exposure led to an enhancement in sample surface hydrophobicity. The fluorescence intensity at the maximum emission wavelength of the fluorescence spectra decreased; Fourier infrared spectroscopy demonstrated a new absorption peak at 1074 cm−1 for the glycosylation product. These findings substantiate that gelatin formed a new product through covalent bonding with galactose. Glycosylation boosted the emulsification stability of gelatin from 1.92 min to 10.42 min and improved its emulsification and rheological properties. These outcomes affirm that EBI can effectively induce the glycosylation reaction of gelatin, thereby enhancing its functional properties. In addition, EBI has the potential to supplant the conventional heating glycosylation method. This study lays a solid theoretical foundation for the future application of glycosylation and gelatin.

Application of electron beam irradiation and mild thermal treatment of Bacillus cereus spores in Chinese braised beef cuisine

ABSTRACT The individual and combined effects of electron beam (EB) irradiation and thermal treatments were investigated on Chinese braised beef samples inoculated with Bacillus cereus spores. Log reductions of 1.19, 2.10, and 3.62 log CFU/g were recorded for B. cereus spores after 6, 9, and 12 kGy lone EB doses, respectively. An 85°C thermal treatment at 20 min (H) reduced the spores population by 1.03 log CFU/g. The combination of the thermal and EB irradiation treatments (HEB) of HEB-6 and HEB-9 achieved 1.69 and 2.89 log CFU/g reductions, respectively. The B. cereus spores population was depleted to below the detection limit following HEB-12 treatment. No significant pH change was observed in the treatments except for HEB-12. The hurdle treatment of HEB-12 caused marked changes in color, aroma, and overall acceptability. Although HEB irradiation improved microbial safety, careful selection of approved EB doses can effectively enhance food safety and maintain reasonable quality standards.

Electron beam irradiation treatment driven structure-function relationships of walnut meal proteins and hydrolysates

Despite the growth of the walnut industry, the high-value utilization of walnut meal, which is rich in high-quality protein, has not kept pace. Electron beam irradiation (EBI) is a non-heat processing technology utilized to improve the physicochemical properties of protein. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism by which EBI treatment influences the structure-function relationships of walnut meal proteins (WMP) and hydrolysates (WMPHs). The results showed that EBI treatment increased the hydrolysis degree of hydrolysis, surface hydrophobicity, content of sulfhydryl groups, and thermal stability of WMP and WMPHs, while exhibiting no significant difference in their amino acid composition and molecular weight. Ultraviolet (UV) analysis, fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), CD spectra, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that EBI treatment modified the molecular structures of WMP and WMPHs by disrupting secondary structure, tertiary structure, and surface morphology. Additionally, EBI treatment significantly enhanced the foaming capacity (by 9.9% and 51.5%, respectively), emulsion activity (by 96.4% and 102.3%, respectively), ABTS (by 16.8% and 27.7%, respectively), and DPPH radical scavenging activity (by 118.2% and 326.2%, respectively) of WMP and WMPHs. Particularly, the EBI-treated WMP and WMPHs samples at 25 kGy demonstrate superior functional properties in various aspects. Correlation analysis revealed a strong direct relationship between the structural and functional properties of EBI-treated WMP and WMPHs. In conclusion, EBI represents a viable option for improving the functional properties of proteins and hydrolysates, thereby expanding the potential applications of walnut meal protein.

Preserving the quality attributes of king oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus eryngii) through electron beam irradiation

SummaryThe preservation of King oyster mushrooms (KOMs) during storage remains a significant challenge due to their susceptibility to microbial spoilage, browning and quality degradation. This study explores the efficacy of electron beam irradiation (EBI) as a novel preservation technique for KOMs, targeting these specific storage issues. Employing a range of detection techniques, we evaluated the impact of EBI on microbial contamination, essential qualities and the browning of KOMs. Our findings reveal that EBI significantly reduces microbial contamination, including total aerobic bacteria and Pseudomonas spp., effectively inhibiting pathogenic spoilage and the formation of browning lesions. The treatment successfully preserved the moisture content, water activity and minimised weight loss, thus maintaining the mushrooms' textural and visual quality. Notably, doses of EBI up to 2 kGy did not adversely affect the firmness of KOMs. Additionally, we determined that photostimulated luminescence and thermoluminescence are effective methods for detecting EBI treatment in KOMs, whereas electron spin resonance proved unsuitable due to the lack of a distinctive irradiation signal in high‐moisture content foods. These findings contribute to the development of an efficient preservation technique for perishable KOMs, offering potential applicability in the food industry.

Impacts of e-beam irradiation on microbial contamination and quality of Chinese medical formulas QingXuan tablets

Applying electron beam irradiation (EBI) technology to remove microbial contamination is a potential way to improve the efficiency of Chinese medical formula preservation. In this study, Qingxuan tablets (QXT) were irradiated at doses of 3, 5, 9, and 13 kGy of the electron beam, to investigate the impacts of EBI on the microbial load, physical properties, color, bioactive content, antioxidant activity, chromatograms, and spectral similarity of QXT. The results showed that EBI treatment at 13 kGy reduced the population of the total aerobic bacteria and the total molds and yeast of QXT to <200 CFU/g. Irradiation had no significant (P > 0.05) effect on the physical properties and color of QXT. However, the bioactive content of QXT was significantly lower at a dose of 13 kGy compared to unirradiated samples. The free radical scavenging capacity of QXT remained preserved after irradiation. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis) analyses showed that the difference in the chemical content between irradiated QXT and unirradiated samples gradually increased as the dose was increased from 0 kGy to 13 kGy. These results suggest that EBI can be used to sterilize and preserve Chinese medical formulas, but the irradiation dose should be controlled to prevent changes in quality.

Effect of electron beam irradiation on the structural characteristics and functional properties of goat's milk casein

The effects of electron beam irradiation (EBI) at different doses (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 kGy) were investigated on the structural and functional properties of casein, including their interrelationship. A gradual reduction in the α-helix content of the secondary structure (as a stable structure) indicates that casein under EBI treatment mainly undergoes fragmentation and aggregation from a structural perspective. Furthermore, the hydrophobic group and tryptophan in the tertiary structure were exposed, which opened up the internal structure of the protein. In addition, a continuously increasing irradiation dose led to casein aggregation, as confirmed by electron microscopy. The structural changes affected its functional properties, such as solubility, emulsification, foaming, and rheological properties, all of which increased first and subsequently decreased. Finally, at irradiation doses of 4–6 kGy, casein was modified to exhibit optimal functional properties, which enhanced its food processing value and performance.

Accelerated thermostabilization through electron-beam irradiation for the preparation of cellulose-derived carbon fibers

The potential of biobased materials like regenerated celluloses as precursors for carbon fibers (CFs) is long known. However, owing to an intrinsic two pathway pyrolysis mechanism of cellulose its carbonization is accompanied with side reactions under generation of volatiles. In practice, this leads to a reduced char yield, results in inferior mechanical properties of the CFs, and requires time-consuming thermostabilization procedures or wet-chemical pretreatments during production. Thus, their market share currently remains low. In ambitions to circumvent these issues, the potential of electron beam irradiation (EBI) as a dry chemical pretreatment for cellulosic CFs was investigated in this study. The conducted chemical analyses showed that high radiation dosages (2 MGy) lead to a strong depolymerization of the cellulose chains down to oligomers, while the fibrous macrostructure was preserved. Minor oxidation reactions were also evident. Thorough thermostabilization experiments under air in the temperature range from 100 °C to 250 °C revealed that reactions caused by EBI treatment alone were insufficient to increase the char yield. Only when the EBI treated precursor fibers are subjected to heating between 200 and 250 °C the char yield increased significantly to 34.4 % compared to 12.1 % for the untreated fiber. Furthermore, the EBI treatment strongly accelerated the reactions during thermostabilization allowing to collect CFs at heating rates of 2 °C/min compared to 0.5 °C/min needed for pristine fibers. Additionally, cellulose-lignin composite fibers were subjected to EBI treatment, proving that this strategy can also be applied to these emerging biobased CF precursors.

(Invited) SAE-MEMS Technology for Electrostatic Vibrational Energy Harvesters

Energy harvesting [1] is expected to be a self-powering technology for small wireless sensor nodes in the next generation Internet-of-Things (IoT). In particular, small vibrational energy harvesters (VEHs) based on micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology, which are battery-free and can generate electricity even at night or in the dark, are being investigated worldwide for next-generation power sources for small wireless IoT nodes [2,3]. Electrostatic MEMS VEHs, which use semi-permanent charge-holding dielectrics called "electrets," are useful for power generation using environmental vibrations because they have a higher output power density at lower frequencies than other methods [4]. Further miniaturization, higher performance, and higher productivity will be required to use electret-type MEMS VEHs as power sources for compact wireless IoT nodes and other devices. Although the integration of MEMS VEHs with power management circuits enables miniaturization, higher performance, and improved productivity, the monolithic integration of electret-type MEMS VEHs and electronic circuits is an unexplored area in conventional technology. Conventional electrostatic MEMS VEHs involve corona discharge, electron beam irradiation, X-ray irradiation, or high-temperature treatment as electret charge processing, which imposes restrictions on the design and manufacturing of MEMS structures and the integration of MEMS and electronic circuits. Recently, self-assembled electrets (SAEs), which are electrets that do not require any charging process, have been developed using materials for organic electroluminescent devices [5]. The surface charge density of SAEs is equivalent to those of previously reported electrets for VEHs, and thus SAE is expected to improve the performance of VEH and simplify the manufacturing process. However, there have been no reports of MEMS devices using SAEs.Our proposed method is the first technology to form SAEs inside MEMS structures using only a vacuum evaporation process at room temperature, and we have succeeded in actual vibration power generation [6]. This technology can be integrated into existing semiconductor processes because the electret formation requires only room-temperature deposition, making it possible to monolithically integrate electret-type MEMS VEHs and electronic circuits on the same substrate. In addition, since the SAE surface potential is proportional to the film thickness, the amount of electricity generated can be further increased by increasing the thickness of the SAE film. Therefore, this technology is expected to accelerate the miniaturization, performance, and productivity improvement of MEMS environmental vibration power generation devices. Akinaga, “Recent advances and future prospects in energy harvesting technologies,” Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 59 (2020) 110201.D. Mitcheson, E. M. Yeatman, G. K. Rao, A. S. Holmes, and T. C. Green, “Energy Harvesting from Human and Machine Motion for Wireless Electronic Devices” Proc. IEEE 96 (2008) 1457–1486.Suzuki, “Recent progress in MEMS electret generator for energy harvesting,” IEEJ Trans. Elec. Electron. Eng. 6 (2011) 101-111.Toshiyoshi, S. Ju, H. Honma, C.-H. Ji, and H. Fujita, “MEMS vibrational energy harvesters,” Sci. Technol. Adv. Mater. 20 (2019) 124-143.Tanaka, N. Matsuura, and H. Ishii, “Self-Assembled Electret for Vibration-Based Power Generator,” Sci. Rep. 10 (2020) 6648.Yamane, H. Kayaguchi, K. Kawashima, H. Ishii, and Y. Tanaka, “MEMS post-processed self-assembled electret for vibratory energy harvesters,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 119 (2021) 254102.

Impact of the gamma and electron beam irradiations on yeast-spot disease fungal agent and physicochemical attributes of hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.)

In this study, the effects of gamma irradiation (GMI) and electron beam irradiation (EBI) on the yeast spot fungus Eremothecium coryli isolated from hazelnuts and the physicochemical features of irradiated hazelnut samples were evaluated. Results demonstrated that GMI doses ≥2 and EBI doses ≥4 effectively removed E. coryli from artificially contaminated hazelnuts and reduced the contamination by 5 log CFU/g. GMI and EBI at higher doses resulted in an increment in malondialdehyde content (MDA) and a change in the profile of fatty acids. Both treatments caused an enhancement in total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity in the DPPH assay but declined antioxidant activity in the ABTS assay at a dose of 6 kGy. L*, a*, and b* color indices were changed, and the surface color of the hazelnuts became darker. Total protein solubility (TSP) and protein profile of the samples were affected by GMI and EBI. Higher doses of GMI and EBI reduced the hardness of the hazelnuts and led to a more fragile texture. The overall acceptability of the samples was adversely affected by GMI, but it was not affected by EBI treatment. Hence, GMI (≥2 kGy) and EBI (≥4 kGy) have the potential to be applied as a fungal disinfection method; lower doses (≥2 kGy) of both treatments can sustain desirable physicochemical attributes and sensory characteristics of hazelnuts.

Comparative evaluation of ethylene oxide, electron beam and gamma irradiation treatments on commonly cultivated red chilli cultivars (Kunri and Hybrid) of Sindh, Pakistan

Chillies are considered a universal ingredient for imparting flavor and pungency to foods. Pakistan stood in the top twenty countries worldwide by producing 82 thousand Tons of chillies during 2022-23. Chilli fungal contamination and aflatoxin production during drying is a common problem during post-harvest process. Gasses treatment and Ionizing radiations are efficient methods for reducing toxigenic and pathogenic microbial growth in food items. The current study was designed to compare the effects of ethylene oxide (ETO), gamma (GB) & electron beam (EB) treatments on two red chilli local cultivars (Kunri and Hybrid) of Pakistan. After treatment, the chilli samples were analyzed for aflatoxins, physicochemical, quality & safety attributes. All results were subjected to Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA), dendrogram and ANOVA to check the correlations, grouping and level of significance within the varieties and treatments. The results showed that moisture and water activity mainly designated PC-2 directions and are slightly positively correlated. Conversely, both fat and proteins have a negative correlation with moisture, ash and water activity. Besides, carotenoids and ABTS assay mainly designated PC-2 directions and are slightly positively correlated. Color, flavonoids and TPC also possess positive correlations among them. ETO depicts effectiveness in the reduction of E. coli but is not effective in saving antioxidant potential such as total flavonoids. Similarly, gamma irradiations showed strong reduction trends in fungal and pathogenic count, however same trend was observed in ascorbic acid too. Besides, the electron beam with dosage levels of 12 and 15 kGy has shown effectiveness against Aspergillus spp., aflatoxins and pathogenic microbial load in addition to saving antioxidant potential (phenolics and flavonoids), physicochemical parameters and color values compared to other applied methods especially in Kunri variety. It was evident from the research that varietal combination in addition to applied treatment must be specially considered while designing a treatment for chillies.

Phytochemicals, antioxidant capacities and volatile compounds changes in fermented spicy Chinese cabbage sauces treated by thermal and non-thermal technologies

To extend shelf life of fermented spicy Chinese cabbage sauce at room temperature, the effects of electron beam irradiation (EBI), high pressure processing (HPP), pasteurization (PT) and autoclave sterilization (AS) treatments on the colony counts of Lactobacillus plantarum, phytochemicals, antioxidant activities and volatile compounds were investigated. Results showed that thermal and non-thermal treatments could significantly decrease the colony counts of Lactobacillus plantarum, in which EBI and AS treatments inactivated Lactobacillus plantarum thoroughly. EBI and HPP treatments were superior to PT and AS treatments in terms of volatile compounds, bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities. The total contents of volatile compounds in sauces treated by EBI and HPP were significantly increased by 43.92%–61.87% and 71.53%–84.46%, respectively, and the new formed substance 2,3-butanedione endowed sauces with sweet and creamy aroma. In addition, HPP treatment improved the extractable contents of total phenolics and carotenoids, retained capsicum red pigment content, and significantly enhanced antioxidant capacities of sauces. Sauce treated by HPP at 200 MPa exhibited the highest total carotenoid content, DPPH radical scavenging activity and FRAP, increasing by 9.27%, 2.24% and 16.13%, respectively, compared with CK. EBI treatment exhibited higher total phenolic content and FRAP, which positively depended on the dose. Therefore, HPP and EBI treatments were suggested as potential technologies to improve shelf-life stability and volatile compounds of fermented spicy Chinese cabbage sauce.

Absorption and birefringence study for reduced optical losses in diamond with high nitrogen-vacancy concentration.

The use of diamond colour centres such as the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centre is increasingly enabling quantum sensing and computing applications. Novel concepts like cavity coupling and readout, laser-threshold magnetometry and multi-pass geometries allow significantly improved sensitivity and performance via increased signals and strong light fields. Enabling material properties for these techniques and their further improvements are low optical material losses via optical absorption of signal light and low birefringence. Here, we study systematically the behaviour of absorption around 700 nm and birefringence with increasing nitrogen- and NV-doping, as well as their behaviour during NV creation via diamond growth, electron beam irradiation and annealing treatments. Absorption correlates with increased nitrogen doping yet substitutional nitrogen does not seem to be the direct absorber. Birefringence reduces with increasing nitrogen doping. We identify multiple crystal defect concentrations via absorption spectroscopy and their changes during the material processing steps and thus identify potential causes of absorption and birefringence as well as strategies to fabricate chemical vapour deposition diamonds with high NV density yet low absorption and low birefringence. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Diamond for quantum applications'.

Effects of electron beam irradiation on protein oxidation and textural properties of shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) during refrigerated storage

Protein oxidation leads to changes in shrimp texture, which affects sensory profile and consumer acceptability. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of electron beam irradiation (EBI) on protein oxidation and textural properties of Litopenaeus vannamei during refrigerated storage. Results revealed that EBI treatment and storage increased the protein oxidation level of shrimps. Shrimps irradiated with ≥ 7 kGy exhibited remarkably higher (P < 0.05) reactive oxygen species, turbidity, and carbonyl contents, and remarkably lower (P < 0.05) Ca2+-ATPase activity, surface hydrophobicity, solubility, and total sulfhydryl contents compared to the control group (0 kGy) on the 7th day of storage. Shrimps irradiated with 3 and 5 kGy exhibited remarkably higher (P < 0.05) hardness, springiness, and chewiness compared to the control group (14.99 N, 1.26 mm, and 3.19 mJ). Collectively, suitable EBI doses of 3–5 kGy were recommended in shrimp preservation to inhibit texture softening by inducing moderate protein oxidation.

Toxicological Response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to Acetylsalicylic Acid Aqueous Solution Treated by Electron Beam Irradiation

Pharmaceuticals have drawn attention due to the potential of causing negative impacts on the population and ecosystems at ecological relevant concentrations. Among these contaminants, acetylsalicylic acid is a drug widely used in human medicine as an analgesic, antipyretic and in actively preventing blood platelet aggregation, which has been introduced into the environment continuously. Several technologies have been proposed for the removal of contaminants. Electron beam irradiation (EBI) has been applied as an alternative and clean technology for pollutant removal. Nevertheless, after any type of treatment there may occur the formation of more toxic byproducts, which may be detected by biological assays. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast consists in simple eukaryotic model, widely used for the assessment of toxic effects on human cells and tissues. This work aims the acute toxicity assessment of treated acetylsalicylic aqueous solutions by EBI employing Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Toxicity assays were performed with S. cerevisiae and the results were compared to other aquatic organisms (Vibrio fischeri bioluminescent bacteria and Daphnia similis microcrustacean). The results showed low sensibility to the yeast when exposed to the anti-inflammatory, demonstrating an EC5030min of 815 mg L-1, when compared with the bioluminescent bacteria (EC5015min = 38.48 mg L-1) and the microcrustacean (EC5048h = 86.05 mg L-1). Due to low acute toxicity, additional chronic assays were also performed with D. similis, demonstrating a NOEC14days (No Observed Effect Concentration) of 2.5 mg L-1. Based on these results, toxicity data from chronic assays was utilized for PNEC estimation, and the highest concentration detected in Brazilian surface water was used to evaluate the worst-case scenario. The calculated risk quotient indicated a possible risk of acetylsalicylic acid to aquatic biota. After EBI treatment, increase in toxicity has been noted for all the evaluated organisms, indicating sensibility of the evaluated organism. This work demonstrated the feasibility of employing toxicity assays with the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast.

Characterization of carbon nanotubes reinforced PVOH polymer composites added with calcined clam shells with the presence of electron beam irradiation

AbstractThe objective of this research is to scrutinize the effect of electron beam irradiation and filler (calcined clam shell and carbon nanotube) addition on the characteristics of the resulting polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) blends. Herein, PVOH/calcined clam shells/carbon nanotube (CNT) blends were prepared by solution casting, which followed by electron beam irradiation treatment at the irradiation dosage of 10 and 30 kGy. It was revealed that the addition of CNT and calcined clam shell enhances the tensile strength and elongation at break at 10 kGy irradiation dosage. On the other hand, when 30 kGy irradiation was applied on PVOH blends, high loading of calcined clam shell reduces the tensile strength and elongation at break, while increasing the loading of CNTs increases the tensile strength and elongation at break of PVOH blends. For scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis, the amount of fibrous presence in fractured part of PVOH blend increased and size of fibrous became thinner and longer when irradiation increased. Besides, a smoother surface can be observed with increased loading of CNTs, while more fibrous are observed with increased of calcined clam shell.

Electron beam irradiation modification of ultra-high pressure treated broad bean starch: Improvement of multi-scale structure and functional properties.

To investigate the synergistic effect of electron beam irradiation (EBI) on the ultra-high pressure (UHP) modification of broad bean starch, various pressures (200, 400, 600MPa) combined with different irradiation doses (3, 6, 12kGy) were used to modify the structure-properties of broad bean starch in this study. The results showed that both UHP and EBI induced a reduction of amylopectin molecular weight (Mw) and depolymerization of long chains, caused the loss of short-range ordered structure and imperfection of crystal structure, and improved starch viscosity, solubility and enzyme sensitivity. Furthermore, the applied pressure causes changes in starch granule structure, upon which EBI promotes further degradation and depolymerization of starch by affecting the crystalline and amorphous regions. Hence, appropriate doses of EBI treatment can impart more desirable processing properties to UHP-modified starches, and EBI can be used as a promising way to promote starch modification further.

Low Operating Voltage and Immediate Read‐After‐Write of HZO‐Based Si Ferroelectric Field‐Effect Transistors with High Endurance and Retention Characteristics

AbstractThe study demonstrates HfZrOx (HZO)‐based Si ferroelectric field‐effect transistors (FeFETs) with a low operating voltage (1.5 V) and immediate read‐after‐write operation (100 ns) via HZO thickness scaling, electron‐beam‐irradiation (EBI) treatment, and interfacial layer (IL) scavenging. With these three strategies, reduced operating voltage, immediate read‐after‐write capability, and improved endurance (&gt;108 cycles) and retention (extrapolated 10‐year) characteristics are achieved in FeFETs. The improved characteristics of FeFETs are attributed to the reduced operating voltage by HZO thickness scaling, the ferroelectric orthorhombic phase‐oriented crystallization by EBI treatment, and the reduced gate voltage drop across the IL and reduced depolarization field by the IL scavenging. It is believed that this work contributes to the development of low‐power and fast‐read FeFETs.

Physical modification of high amylose starch using electron beam irradiation and heat moisture treatment: The effect on multi-scale structure and in vitro digestibility.

This study explores a new strategy for manipulating the digestibility of high-amylose maize starch (HAMS) through combinative modifications, namely depolymerization via electron beam irradiation (EBI) followed by reorganizing glucan chains via heat moisture treatment (HMT). The results show that semi-crystalline structure, morphological features and thermal properties of HAMS remained similar. However, EBI increased branching degree of the starch at high irradiation dosage (20kGy), resulting in more readily leached amylose during heating. HMT increased the relative crystallinity (3.9-5.4% increase) and V-type fraction (0.6-1.9% increase), without significant changes (p>0.05) in gelatinization onset temperature, peak temperature and enthalpy. Under simulated gastrointestinal conditions, the combination of EBI and HMT either had no effect or negative effect on starch enzymatic resistance, depending on the irradiation dosage. These results suggest that the depolymerization by EBI predominantly affects the changes in enzyme resistance, rather than the growth and perfection of crystallites induced by HMT.

Influence of 10 MeV electron beam irradiation on the lipid stability of oat and barley during storage

This study investigated the effect of electron beam irradiation (EBI) on the lipid stability of oat and barley during long-term storage. Results showed that the initial free fatty acid content in oat was higher than that in barley. This may mean that lipid hydrolysis started under the function of lipase when oat and barley were milled into flours. Both storage and EBI factors influenced lipid-degrading enzyme activity and promoted lipid oxidation in oat and barley. However, it seemed that storage had higher impacts because the DPPH scavenging activity decreased greatly, and the contents of both malondialdehyde and volatile lipid oxidation products increased in all samples. Thus, the antioxidant capacity and level of lipid oxidation after EBI treatment should be considered when producing oat and barley foods. Overall, this study shows the high potential of EBI for use as a non-thermal technique in stabilising the storage quality of oat and barley.