Quality of packaged romaine lettuce hearts exposed to low-dose electron beam irradiation

Jaejoon Han; Carmen L. Gomes-Feitosa; Elena Castell-Perez; Rosana G. Moreira; Paulo F. Silva

doi:10.1016/j.lwt.2004.02.007

Quality of packaged romaine lettuce hearts exposed to low-dose electron beam irradiation

Jaejoon Han, Carmen L. Gomes-Feitosa, Elena Castell-Perez, Rosana G. Moreira, Paulo F. Silva

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

63 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We investigated the effects of low-dose electron beam irradiation (1.0, 1.5 and 3.2kGy) on the quality of commercially prepackaged fresh romaine lettuce hearts. The impact of the irradiation treatment on the functionality of the package was also evaluated. Irradiated samples showed slight changes in color, but these changes were not significantly different (P >0.05) from the nonirradiated (control) samples. Sample firmness decreased by 49.58% (leaves) and 29.13% (ribs), as the dose level increased. Sensory attributes such as overall quality, color, sogginess, and off-flavor were found less acceptable at the higher dose level. Irradiation affected the respiration rates inside the packages, with lower (10.38%) O₂ and higher CO₂ levels than the control. Irradiation at 1.5 and 3.2kGy dose levels improved the oxygen barrier capability of the low-density polyethylene (LDPE) bags (7.67% and 4.48%, respectively). Water vapor permeability was unaffected at all the irradiation dose levels. The stiffness of LPDE films did not change due to irradiation treatment. Results from sensory evaluation of produce overall quality suggest a potential fungicidal effect of low-dose irradiation (1.0kGy) of packaged romaine lettuce hearts without altering the overall quality of the produce as well as the LDPE-packaging characteristics.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	705-715
Number of pages	11
Journal	LWT
Volume	37
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2004.02.007
Publication status	Published - 2004 Nov
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors wish to thank the United States Department of Agriculture CSREES and NRI programs for their financial support.

Keywords

Dose
Fresh produce
Safety
Sensory evaluation
Texture

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Food Science

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10.1016/j.lwt.2004.02.007

Cite this

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title = "Quality of packaged romaine lettuce hearts exposed to low-dose electron beam irradiation",

abstract = "We investigated the effects of low-dose electron beam irradiation (1.0, 1.5 and 3.2kGy) on the quality of commercially prepackaged fresh romaine lettuce hearts. The impact of the irradiation treatment on the functionality of the package was also evaluated. Irradiated samples showed slight changes in color, but these changes were not significantly different (P >0.05) from the nonirradiated (control) samples. Sample firmness decreased by 49.58% (leaves) and 29.13% (ribs), as the dose level increased. Sensory attributes such as overall quality, color, sogginess, and off-flavor were found less acceptable at the higher dose level. Irradiation affected the respiration rates inside the packages, with lower (10.38%) O2 and higher CO2 levels than the control. Irradiation at 1.5 and 3.2kGy dose levels improved the oxygen barrier capability of the low-density polyethylene (LDPE) bags (7.67% and 4.48%, respectively). Water vapor permeability was unaffected at all the irradiation dose levels. The stiffness of LPDE films did not change due to irradiation treatment. Results from sensory evaluation of produce overall quality suggest a potential fungicidal effect of low-dose irradiation (1.0kGy) of packaged romaine lettuce hearts without altering the overall quality of the produce as well as the LDPE-packaging characteristics.",

keywords = "Dose, Fresh produce, Safety, Sensory evaluation, Texture",

author = "Jaejoon Han and Gomes-Feitosa, {Carmen L.} and Elena Castell-Perez and Moreira, {Rosana G.} and Silva, {Paulo F.}",

note = "Funding Information: The authors wish to thank the United States Department of Agriculture CSREES and NRI programs for their financial support.",

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AU - Han, Jaejoon

AU - Gomes-Feitosa, Carmen L.

AU - Castell-Perez, Elena

AU - Moreira, Rosana G.

AU - Silva, Paulo F.

N1 - Funding Information: The authors wish to thank the United States Department of Agriculture CSREES and NRI programs for their financial support.

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Quality of packaged romaine lettuce hearts exposed to low-dose electron beam irradiation

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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