Ionizing irradiation post-harvest processing of chestnuts: effects of gamma and e-beam technologies on physico-chemical parameters

Chestnut fruit must be postharvest treated to meet the international fitossanitary regulations during exportation. Chemical fumigation with methyl bromide was the most common practice for elimination of insects in those fruits. Nevertheless, it is a toxic product for the operators and was recently banned by the european legislation (March 2010), following the international recommendations of Montreal Protocol on ozone depleting substances. Therefore, it becomes essential to find alternative preservation methodologies. Irradiation might be a good alternative; its use by several industries on different food products could confirm the viability of such treatment in chestnut fruits. The effects of storage time (0 and 30 days at 4 oC) and irradiation dose (gamma and e-beam) up to 3 kGy on physico-chemical parameters were evaluated. Those parameters included colour, texture, moisture, nutritional value, sugars, fatty acids and tocopherols [1-3]. After analysis of the results, it was observed that irradiation at up to 3 kGy did not affect the mentioned parameters, being more relevant the effects of storage time. Overall, the irradiation might be a promising alternative for post-harvest chestnuts processing, without altering the main physico-chemical characteristics. References [1] Antonio et al. Food Chem. Toxicol., 49 (2011) 1918-1923. [2] Fernandes et al. Food Chem. Toxicol. 49 (2011) 2429-2432. [3] Fernandes et al. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2011, 59, 10028–10033.