Radiation processing of dried Ker (Capparis deciduas): Effect on microbial safety and nutritional quality

Abstract

Radiation processing of fresh and market (0-6 months old) dried ker at different doses of 2.5, 5.0 and 7.0 kGy was investigated. The effect of radiation treatment on total bacterial counts and nutritional quality parameters like moisture, protein, fat, ash, fibre, total sugar and starch contents were determined over a storage period of 3 months at ambient temperature. The findings of the study indicated that the radiation treatment reduces total bacterial counts in both fresh and market-dried ker at all doses. However, a dose of 5 kGy eliminated total bacterial counts in samples after storage. No significant changes were found in the proximate composition of both fresh and market-dried ker. On the contrary, total sugar content was observed to be increased in both control as well as irradiated samples during storage. Thus, radiation processing with 5.0 kGy did not affect significantly the nutritional quality of fresh and market-dried ker samples.