Mesmo quando a vida é desafiadora, o presente sempre representa uma oportunidade para aprendermos, crescermos e nos tornarmos melhores do que jamais fomos."

No abstract

The tendency to use edible flowers in gastronomy to add beauty, color, and flavor in food preparation has been increasing in recent years. Several species have active biological substances, which play an important role in health maintenance. This highly perishable food should be grown without the use of pesticides. Thus, several methods are applied to increase the shelf life of food products, as well as ensure their quality and safety. Among the treatments, the food irradiation process has proven to be an effective tool in preserving and extending the shelf life of the perishable product. Dianthus chinensis flowers, popularly known as chinese pink (cravina), belongs to the family Caryophyllaceae, are native to Asia and Europe, are widely used in culinary preparations, is also acknowledged for their bioactive components and antioxidant properties. The purpose of this study was to evaluate carotenoids in D. chinensis flowers submitted to gamma irradiation and electron beam doses of 0.5, 0.8, and 1.0 kGy. High performance liquid chromatography was used to carotenoids determination. In the specie of edible flowers analyzed it was found carotenoid lutein (4.02 to x 7.52 mg/ 100 g). In general, the lutein was higher for irradiated samples, especially those treated with 0.8 and 1.0 kGy independently of irradiation technology. Accordingly, the applied irradiation treatments seemed to represent a feasible technology to preserve the quality of edible flower petals.

No abstract

Pachymerus nucleorum (Fabricius, 1792), is a pest of economic importance it causes direct damages to the “licuri” almonds. The objective of this study was to determine the lethal doses of gamma radiation for stages egg, larvae, and pupae of this insect as a phytosanitary treatment in “licuri”. The samples were irradiated in a Cobalt 60 irradiator, Gammacell-220 type, installed at the Institute of Energy and Nuclear Research - IPEN / CNEN at a dose rate of 748 Gy / h. Each treatment consisted of 3 replicates, so 180 licuri were irradiated in the doses of 50, 75, 100, and 125 Gy. After irradiation, the samples were stored at a temperature of 25 ± 5°C and relative humidity of 70 ± 5%. The evaluation of the fruits was performed by the emergence of insects. It is concluded that the dose of 125 Gy was sufficient to inhibit the development of insect life stages. Therefore, this dose of radiation can be used for control of the immature stages of the P. nucleorum.