Effects of 60Co γ-ray and electron-beam irradiation on the color of dried chili products

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of 60Co γ-radiation and electron-beam irradiation on the color of dried chili products through comparative analysis of the color difference, non-enzymatic browning index, color value, and R/Y value. The experiment included different doses (0, 3, 7, and 16 kGy) and different storage times (0 and 30 d). The results revealed that when no storage time elapsed (0 d), the a* value decreased by 13% in the dried chili samples treated with a 60Co γ-ray dose of 16 kGy; the non-enzymatic browning value increased by 12%, and the R/Y value decreased by 16%. Moreover, the a*, b*, and L* values of the samples treated with electron beams at 7 kGy were significantly lower than those treated with 60Co γ-rays. Furthermore, increasing the dosage of either the 60Co γ-rays or electron beam resulted in large color differences and small non-enzymatic browning values for the chili powder samples stored for 0 d. Notably, at a dose of 16 kGy, ΔE* of the chili powder treated with 60Co γ-rays was higher than that of the powder subjected to electron-beam treatment. By contrast, the non-enzymatic browning value of the 60Co γ-ray-treated sample was significantly lower than that of the electron-beam-treated sample. After 30 d of storage, ΔE* of the chili powder samples treated with a 7 kGy dose of either 60Co γ-rays or electron beam was significantly higher than that recorded for the other dosage groups. Further, ΔE* was the highest for the samples treated with a 7 kGy dose of 60Co γ-rays. In conclusion, the impact of electron beams on the color of the dried chili products was less than that of the 60Co γ-rays. Furthermore, the effect of irradiation on the color of the chili powder was stronger than that on the color of the dried chilis.

Keywords

• 60co-γ ray irradiation
• electron beam irradiation
• dried peppers
• chili powder
• color change