PRODUCTION OF CO 2 AND C 2 H 4 AFTER GAMMA IRRADIATION OF STRAWBERRY FRUIT (original) (raw)

1990, Journal of Food Quality

Strawberry fruit (Fragaria ananassa, Duch. cv 'Kent') were irradiated at doses from 0 to 4 kGy and stored at 10°C to verifL whether irradiation at very low doses could delay postharvest ripening while causing minimal damage to the tissues. CO, and C2H4 production were used as stress indicator. Anthocyanins and titratable acidity were measured as maturity parameters. CO, and C,H, produetion increased six hours after irradiation. The increase in CO, production was proportional to the dose of irradiation and was highest at 4 kGy. Muximum Cf14 production was reached at 1 kGy. The different response of COz and C,H, production to irradiation suggests that the membrane system supporting C,H, production was more sensitive to gamma rays than mitochondria1 CO, production. Irradiation at 0.3 kGy slightly delayed color development in the fruit. Overall, the results indicated that it may be possible to use irradiation at a low dose to delay ripening while causing only minimal tissue damage.