Evaluation of texture and color of ready-to-eat food processing by ionizing radiation

Abstract

Development of ready to eat food need effective conservation technologies to ensure that product will be free from bacterial, viral, and pathogens contamination. Beyond t h a t, it is important to maintain satisfying consumers’ requirements about taste, practicality advantages and n utrition. In t his context irradiation process is a treatment that reaches to reduce the microbial load making food safer. For this purpose, different radiation doses may be applied, which may or may not interfere negatively on other parameters of food quality. The objec tive of this work is to evaluate the effects of ionizing radiation on the instrumental characteristics of an elaborated ready toeat product. The samples were irradiated at the Radiation Technology Center (CTR) of the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute ( IPEN / CNEN SP), with doses of 0 (control), 4.5 kGy and 7,5 kGy. After irradiation processing the Texture analysis were performed in a Texturometer TA XT2, Color measurements in a Minolta Chroma Meter and Water Activity (aw). Hardness results increased pro portionally with the increase in the applied dose. It was not found significant difference between the doses in relation to the results for aw. In conclusion, both doses can be used to this kind of product.