Ready to eat and irradiated potatoes, carrots, cabbage and green beans and acceptability in the consumer market

• Grant number: 10/16117-6
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: July 01, 2011
• End date: June 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Nuclear Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Valter Arthur
• Grantee: Valter Arthur
• Host Institution: Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: Piracicaba
• Associated researchers: Elias Foltran Campos ; Gisele Gonçalves Bortoleto ; Hermas Amaral Germek ; Lucia Cristina Aparecida Santos Silva ; Marcia Nalesso Costa Harder ; Vanessa de Cillos Silva Perina

Abstract

Consumers are increasingly looking for healthy and practical foods, where time is a primary factor. The technology "ready to eat", which can combine the techniques such as minimally processed and pre-cooking adds value to the product, besides, to make life easier for consumers. Increasing concern regarding the safety and hygiene of food consumed makes techniques of food preservation are studied. The present study aims to evaluate the effect of different doses of gamma radiation on potato, carrot, cabbage and green beans minimally processed, pre-cooked and vacuum packed with respect to the physico-chemical, chemical, sensory and microbiological tests, the influence of different temperatures the storage of such products, in addition to verifying the acceptability of these products to the consumer market place. To identify the physico-chemical, physical and chemical analysis will be conducted soluble solids, acidity, ratio, pH, color, carotenoids, protein, crude fiber, ash and firmness. Will also take place, sensory analysis, for color, odor and overall acceptability, microbiological, with fecal and total coliform counts. The acceptability of irradiated product market will be identified by use of questionnaire in the local market. It is expected that the use of irradiation technique reduces and/or eliminate microbial contamination without significantly altering the physical, chemical and physical-chemical products and the methods of conservation chosen to be complemented with this technique, such as pre- cooking, vacuum packing and storage temperatures, have positive effects. Regarding the acceptability of the consumer market, expected to find ignorance and doubts about the safety of irradiated foods. (AU)