Sterilization of Ground Prepacked Indian Spices by Gamma Irradiation |
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| Authors: | MA MUNASIRI MN PARTE AS GHANEKAR ARUN SHARMA SR PADWAL-DESAI GB NADKARNI |
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| Affiliation: | Authors Parte, Ghanekar, Sharma, Padwal-Desai, and Nadkarni are with the Food Technology &Enzyme Engineering Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay 400 085, India. Author Munasiri is an IAEA Fellow from Sri Lanka, Present address: Atomic Energy Authority, H.P.T. Building, Colombo 8. |
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| Abstract: | Prepacked ground Indian spices which included pepper. turmeric, chilli, and coriander were found to be heavily contaminated with bacteria and molds. The total bacterial counts ranged between 105–107. whereas total fungal counts ranged between 102–106. Red chilli was found to be the most contaminated spice. The bacterial population consisted mainly of spores. A dose of 10 kGy was found to be effective in destroying these microbes in prepacked spices without affecting their quality attributes. To eliminate mold contamination a dose of 5 kGy was sufficient. During a six-month storage study of irradiated and unirradiated spices, the irradiated spices were found to retain their quality. |
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