Effect of Gamma Irradiation on the Microbiological and Physicochemical Qualities of Vacuum-Packaged Sugar-Treated Waxy Corns During Storage

摘要

Effect of gamma irradiation on the microbiological and physicochemical characteristics of vacuum-packaged sugar-treated corns was examined to improve taste and shelf-life during storage at room or low temperature. When the vacuum-packaged sugar-treated corns were stored at 25 deg C for 7 months, total counts and yeast and molds in the control increased approximately 2.4 and 3.5 log CFU/g, respectively but complete inactivation was observed for irradiated corns at 3 and 5 kGy. Similar results were observed at 15 deg C and 4 deg C storage. There were no significant differences in hardness between irradiated sugar-treated waxy corns and control group before storage, but the hardness in control significantly increased during the storage, compared to those of irradiated corns. Also, changes in sugar content were not significant between the irradiated sugar-treated waxy corns and control during storage. Sensory evaluation for steamed-waxy corns showed that total sensory scores were higher in irradiated corns than in control, which were increased with irradiation doses. It was considered that maintaining good quality and increasing shelf-life of irradiated vacuum-packaged sugar treated corns could be possible at 15 deg C storage for long-term period.