Gamma irradiation treatment of minimally processed kiwi fruit to maintain physicochemical quality and prevent microbial proliferation during refrigerated storage

Abstract

Mature kiwi after minimal processing were treated with 0.5–2.0 kGy gamma irradiation to monitor changes in quality parameters under refrigerated conditions (3 ± 1°C, RH 85%) for 16 days. The results revealed that treatment of 2.0 kGy proved helpful in delaying onset of surface browning, reducing the polyphenol oxidase activity and preserving the original color of samples till 16 days. Dose dependent decrease in polyphenol oxidase activity and surface browning was observed in kiwi samples. Control samples were almost devoid of chlorophyll after 12 days; whereas 2.0 kGy samples, showed decrease of 29.6% in chlorophyll after 16 days. Dose of 2.0 kGy significantly prevented the proliferation of microbial load and resulted in 5.7 log reduction in yeast and mold count and 6.0 log reductions in bacterial count of kiwi samples after the end of 16 days of storage; therefore, satisfying food safety concerns of ready to eat kiwi fruit. Practical applications Increasing demand for ready to eat, convenience chemical free and health promoting foods associated with limited shelf‐life has forced the food scientists to search for new technologies. Extending shelf‐life and maintaining both nutritional as well as microbial quality has beneficial implications on industry and consumers. Present investigation showed that radiation processing of minimally processed kiwi offers a promising alternative to chemicals to delay the onset of browning besides maintaining other quality attributes and thus ensuring consumer safety and satisfaction.

Postharvest Quality of Kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis) after X-ray Irradiation Quarantine Treatment

“…In contrast, gamma irradiated 'Hayward' kiwifruit at high doses (>1000 Gy) had lower L* values (darker fruit) than control (nonirradiated) during the early storage period, but a radiation dose of 3000-Gy fruits had higher surface L* values than 1000-and 2000-Gy irradiated fruits (Kim and Yook 2009). Also, L* values increased with doses up to 2000 Gy in minimally processed kiwifruit stored for 12 d at 3 C, indicating a dose-dependent decrease in flesh surface browning (Hussain et al 2021).…”

“…However, for kiwifruit treated with 1000to 3000-Gy gamma irradiation, sensory panelists preferred fruit treated with 3000 Gy over the control (nonirradiated) 'Hayward' fruit (Kim and Yook 2009). Also, minimally processed kiwifruit treated with 2000-Gy radiation had higher overall acceptability based on texture and color, relative to nonirradiated samples (Hussain et al 2021). This indicates that kiwifruit can maintain sensory quality at doses above those used for quarantine treatment and will be acceptable to consumers.…”

From polyphenol to o‐quinone: Occurrence, significance, and intervention strategies in foods and health implications

“…Furthermore, ozone, gamma irradiation, and cold plasma have been applied in the inactivation of enzymes (Hussain et al., 2021; Mayookha et al., 2023). Ozone, a triatomic form of oxygen, has been widely used as an antimicrobial agent in drinking water.…”

Untitled

“…-Radiation may reduce the lignification of immature bamboo shoots and the lignin concentration by 12.5% after 28 days of storage at 2 °C [17]. In many foods, particularly minimally processed foods, the use of -radiations for fruit and vegetable preservation has been proven to be beneficial in inactivating and eliminating spoilage and foodborne bacteria [18]. Numerous studies have shown that -irradiation treatment successfully exterminates the microbes responsible for decay from fresh-cut fruits and vegetables without degrading the quality overall [19,20].…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, -irradiation's impact on Dendrocalamus hamiltonii bamboo shoots has not yet been reported. Therefore, our current study demonstrated the impact of -radiation on post-harvest retention of storage quality and prevention of microbial proliferation of Dendrocalamus hamiltonii shoot by assessing the physicochemical and microbial parameters 4), [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] including sensory evaluation at varied storage time.…”