A quantitative and qualitative investigation of the impact of irradiation on the physico-chemical of pointed gourd during storage

Abstract

Irradiation effect on the physico-chemical characteristics and shelf stability of pointed gourd was investigated in research. It was estimated that moisture content, total phenol and total carotenoids was significantly (p?0.05) decreased while physiological loss in weight, total soluble solids, lutein and ?-cryptoxanthin were increased during the completion of study. The three carotenoid pigments (?-carotene, lutein, ?-cryptoxanthin) were identified by Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and spectrophotometric method and its changes reported during storage in control and irradiated sample. The principal component analysis showed that b* value, Physiological Loss Weight (PLW), adhesiveness and acidity have negative correlation with rest of the parameters during storage. The research will present a progressive strategy for increasing the storage stability of pointed gourd during transportation and storage in India�s government and private mandis. � 2022, Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (India).