Author: Wall, Marisa

Source: Stewart Postharvest Review, Volume 4, Number 2, April 2008 , pp. 1-7(7)

Publisher: Stewart Postharvest Solutions

Abstract:

Purpose of review: Irradiation doses of up to 1,000 Gy have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the preservation and disinfestation of fresh fruits and vegetables. This review examines the radiotolerance of harvested horticultural crops at doses < 1,000 Gy for the purposes of quarantine security and inhibition of growth, maturation and ripening of the crops.

Main findings: The use of irradiation for shelf-life extension, disinfestation, sprout control or microbial safety holds promise for many fresh commodities, but slight variations in maturity and dosimetry must be carefully managed to achieve a beneficial effect. Often the effective dose is very close to the phytotoxic threshold. The adoption of low and generic doses for quarantine purposes will likely stimulate the use of irradiation for global trade in fresh produce.

Directions for future research: As irradiation technology expands to include new and exotic crops, interactions between cultivar, maturity, preharvest conditions, storage temperature and irradiation dose should be determined for effects on quality, composition and shelf-life. Information on the radiotolerance of a diverse array of species used for cut flower and ornamental foliage is lacking. Thus, novel methods to minimise injury of radiosensitive crops should be developed. Research on combination treatments involving irradiation plus heat treatments, antimicrobial compounds, ethylene inhibitors, edible coatings or modified atmosphere packaging may reduce postharvest diseases and extend the shelf-life of irradiated crops. Finally, simulated shipping studies are needed, in which irradiation is included as one component of the integrated postharvest system.

Keywords: IRRADIATION; FRUITS; VEGETABLES; QUALITY; QUARANTINE

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2212/spr.2008.2.1

Publication date: 2008-04-01

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