Irradiation alone or combined with other alternative treatments to control postharvest diseases

The postharvest diseases are considered worldwide as the most significant issue for postharvest facilities. Although there are various methods to decrease postharvest losses, consumers are looking for agricultural product free of chemicals. It is therefore necessary to develop alternatives to synthetic chemical control to reduce environmental risks and raise consumer confidence. Several alternatives such as food irradiation show promise, but none alone is as effective as fungicides. A strategy must be developed that combines several of these alternatives to enhance their effectiveness. Therefore, there is a need for a method combining couple of methods together. A combination for this purpose can be irradiation with other treatment such as, heating, cooling and sodium carbonate/sodium bicarbonate treatment. The safety of irradiated food is declared by joint FAO/JAEA/WHO Expert Committee for food irradiation. In this study, advantages and disadvantages of irradiation, and combination with various other treatments were evaluated and recommendations were provided to minimize the postharvest losses.

[1]  N. Aziz,et al.  Effect of gamma-irradiation on the occurrence of pathogenic microorganisms and nutritive value of four principal cereal grains. , 2006, Applied radiation and isotopes : including data, instrumentation and methods for use in agriculture, industry and medicine.

[2]  R. Saftner,et al.  Improving biocontrol using antagonist mixtures with heat and/or sodium bicarbonate to control postharvest decay of apple fruit , 2005 .

[3]  J. S. Smith.  Irradiation and Food Safety An IFT Scientific Status Summary , 2004 .

[4]  O. Karabulut,et al.  Integrated control of postharvest diseases of peaches with a yeast antagonist, hot water and modified atmosphere packaging , 2004 .

[5]  R. Spotts,et al.  Sensitivity of Populations of Botrytis cinerea from Pear-Related Sources to Benzimidazole and Dicarboximide Fungicides. , 2003, Plant disease.

[6]  J. Farkas.  Irradiation for better foods , 2006 .

[7]  C. Rojas-Argudo,et al.  Effects of X-ray irradiation and sodium carbonate treatments on postharvest Penicillium decay and quality attributes of clementine mandarins , 2007 .

[8]  W. R. Wright,et al.  Gamma radiation dose response of some decay pathogens. , 1960 .

[9]  D. Margosan,et al.  Control of Citrus Green Mold by Carbonate and Bicarbonate Salts and the Influence of Commercial Postharvest Practices on Their Efficacy. , 1999, Plant disease.

[10]  I. Grant,et al.  Effect of irradiation and modified atmosphere packaging on the microbiological and sensory quality of pork stored at refrigeration temperatures , 2007 .

[11]  L. Rocha,et al.  Effects of gamma-radiation on the fungus Alternaria alternata in artificially inoculated cereal samples. , 2009, Applied radiation and isotopes : including data, instrumentation and methods for use in agriculture, industry and medicine.

[12]  R. Saftner,et al.  Integrating heat treatment, biocontrol and sodium bicarbonate to reduce postharvest decay of apple caused by Colletotrichum acutatum and Penicillium expansum , 2004 .

[13]  E. Maxie,et al.  RADIATION-HEAT SYNERGISM FOR INACTIVATION OF MARKET DISEASE FUNGI OF STONE FRUITS. , 1967 .

[14]  K. Shea.  Technical Report: Irradiation of Food , 2000 .

[15]  Lluís Palou,et al.  Control of Postharvest Blue and Green Molds of Oranges by Hot Water, Sodium Carbonate, and Sodium Bicarbonate. , 2001, Plant disease.

[16]  D. Joyce,et al.  Postharvest UV-C irradiation on cut Freesia hybrida L. inflorescences suppresses petal specking caused by Botrytis cinerea. , 2010 .

[17]  D. Margosan,et al.  Combination of Hot Water and Ethanol to Control Postharvest Decay of Peaches and Nectarines. , 1997, Plant disease.

[18]  EFFECT OF HOT WATER AND GAMMA RADIATION ON POSTHARVEST DECAY OF GRAPEFRUIT , 1985 .

[19]  Gangdev Ps.  Safety and nutritional adequacy of irradiated food. , 1995 .

[20]  Peter Josephson,et al.  Preservation of Food by Ionizing Radiation , 1982 .

[21]  G. D’hallewin,et al.  COMBINATION OF ULTRAVIOLET-C IRRADIATION AND BIOCONTROL TREATMENTS TO CONTROL DECAY CAUSED BY PENICILLIUM DIGITATUM IN ´WASHINGTON NAVEL´ ORANGE FRUIT , 2005 .

[22]  S. F. Pascholati,et al.  Effects of gamma and UV-C irradiation on the postharvest control of papaya anthracnose , 2007 .

[23]  J. Smilanick,et al.  Hot water, sodium carbonate, and sodium bicarbonate for the control of postharvest green and blue molds of clementine mandarins , 2002 .

[24]  Niels Skovgaard,et al.  High-dose irradiation: wholesomeness of food irradiated with doses above 10 kGy. Report of a Joint FAO/IAEA/WHO Study Group. , 2000, World Health Organization technical report series.

[25]  Ismail Y.S. Rustom.  Aflatoxin in food and feed: occurrence, legislation and inactivation by physical methods , 1997 .

[26]  D. Margosan,et al.  Characterization of fungicide-resistant isolates of Penicillium digitatum collected in California , 2007 .

[27]  E. Larmond,et al.  THE EFFECT OF LOW LEVEL GAMMA IRRADIATION ON PEACHES. , 1968 .

[28]  V. Khan,et al.  LOW DOSE UV AND GAMMA RADIATION ON STORAGE ROT AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHANGES IN PEACHES , 1993 .

[29]  M. Gürer,et al.  Post-harvest disease control of apple, quince, onion and peach, with radiation treatment. , 1994 .