Effect of gamma irradiation on trichromatic values of spices

The effect of γ-irradiation on trichromatic color values L*, a*, and b* was determined in black pepper, oregano, and allspice samples irradiated at average doses from 5 kGy to 30 kGy. Trichromatic values a* measured in methanol extracts of treated spices immediately after the irradiation process were significantly changed, but the subsequent storage of allspice and oregano caused much more distinctive alteration of these color values than the irradiation itself. Additionally, the differences in redness between the reference (non-irradiated) allspice and oregano samples and samples treated by γ-radiation gradually disappeared during the storage period. On the contrary, the post-irradiation storage of black pepper samples did not reveal any changes of a* values. Presented at the XVIIIth Slovak Spectroscopic Conference, Spišská Nová Ves, 15–18 October 2006.     

Thin-layer chromatography in spices analysis

Spices are the dried parts of aromatic plants, excepting the leaves, usually used for flavoring, seasoning and imparting aroma in foods. They contain many classes of valuable compounds, which can also exert different biological activities, such as antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. Since spices contain important bioconstituents, they are often adulterated in economical purposes, not only by the botanical and geographical origin, but also by adding or subtracting of different substances which affect in a negative manner their quality. The aim of this paper is to overview the TLC methods used in the analysis of spices, in order to evaluate their composition and biological activities, and also to detect the adulteration.     

Identification of irradiation treatment of spices by thermoluminescence of contaminating minerals

Five spices, cumin, coriander, clove, cinnamon and black pepper were irradiated by gamma-ray doses of 1.0 and 5.0 kGy and thermoluminescence (TL) method was used for identification of the irradiation treatment. The TL response of the minerals isolated from irradiated samples was much higher as compared to the mineral particles from unirradiated control samples. For the normalisation of results the separated minerals were reirradiated to a normalisation dose of 1.0 kGy and the TL glow curve was recorded a second time. By comparing the glow curves of irradiated and unirradiated samples, finding the ratio of the areas of first and second glow curves (TL₁/TL₂) and comparing the shapes of the glow curves, all the irradiated and unirradiated samples were identified correctly.     

Thermoluminescence detection of Korean traditional foods exposed to gamma and electron-beam irradiation

Thermoluminescence(TL) analysis was applied to detect irradiated Korean traditional condiments and soup mixes containing salt(NaCl). These food items, which are commercially irradiated in Korea, showed a consistently high correlation(R²) between the absorbed doses and the corresponding TL responses. It was proved that table salt played a role as an in-built indicator in TL measurements and its concentration in test samples was proposed as a correction factor for varying conditions of TL measurements. Pre-established threshold values were successfully adopted to identify 167 coded samples of Ramen soup mixes, both non-irradiated and irradiated with gamma and electron-beam energy. The TL intensity of irradiated soup mixes decreased with the lapse of time, but was still distinguishable from that of the non-irradiated samples at the fourth month of ambient storage. Expected estimates of absorbed doses, 2.85 and 4.75 kGv were obtained using a quadratic equation with average values of 1.57 and 4.90 kGy, respectively.     

Multielement analysis of food spices by instrumental neutron activation analysis

Twenty-four elements in six food spices were estimated by non-destructive instrumental neutron activation analysis. The problems in determining Cu were discussed.     

Effect of dose rate on inactivation of microorganisms in spices by electron-beams and gamma-rays irradiation

Total aerobic bacteria in spices used in this study were determined to be 1 × 10⁶ to 6 × 10⁷ per gram. A study on the inactivation of microorganisms in spices showed that doses of 6–9kGy of EB (electron-beams) or γ-irradiation were required to reduce the total aerobic bacteria in many However, a little increase of resistance was observed on the inactivation of total aerobic bacteria in many spices in case of EB irradiation. These difference of radiation sensitivities between EB and γ-rays was explained by dose rate effect on oxidation damage to microorganisms from the results of radiation sensitivities of Bacillus pumilus and B. megaterium spores at dry conditions. On the other hand, these high dose rate of EB irradiation suppressed the increase of peroxide values in spices at high dose irradiation up to 80 kGy. However, components of essential oils in spices were not changed even irradiated up to 50 kGy with EB and γ-rays.     

Preparation of metallic fuel rodlets for irradiation testing in the HANARO research reactor

U–10 wt% Zr fuel rodlets, which will be irradiated in the HANARO research reactor in order to evaluate the irradiation performance of metallic fuel and validate the in-reactor behavior, were prepared through determined fabrication processes. Injection casting technology was applied to produce U–10Zr fuel slugs, and sodium melt and a bonding process were conducted to bond a fuel slug to the fuel cladding. To seal the end plug to the fuel cladding tube, a gas tungsten arc welding technique was adopted. Based on the results of these experiments, sodium-cooled fast reactor fuel rodlets for irradiation testing in the HANARO research reactor have been soundly fabricated.     

Phototoxicity testing by online irradiation and HPLC

A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system was developed for the determination of drug photostability and phototoxicity based on an automated column-switching system with aqueous online UV-A irradiation and hyphenated organic separation of the drug and its photoproducts. The photoreactor is built with an poly(ethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene) (ETFE) reaction coil knitted around a UV-A light source. The chromatographic separation was performed with two special C₁₈ columns, which are also suitable for using with pure water as eluent. Degradation of chlorpromazine (CPZ) by ultraviolet light was investigated at pH 7 and pH 3. Furthermore chlorpromazine was irradiated in the presence of guanosine-5-monophosphate (GMP) in pH 7 buffered solution, leading to a new photoproduct. In the pH 3 irradiation studies of CPZ and GMP, no reaction was detected between the molecules.     

Identification of irradiation treatment of aromatic herbs, spices and fruits by electron paramagnetic resonance and thermoluminescence

Electron paramagnetic resonance and thermoluminescence signals induced by gamma irradiation in some herbs, spices and fruits were systematically studied in order to detect the treatment. Using European protocols the validity and effectiveness of these two techniques are compared in regard to time of storage after irradiation.     

Thermoluminescence of irradiated polystyrene

Thermoluminescence of irradiated polystyrene has been studied in the temperature range 100 to 440°K. Three glow peaks with maximum at 160, 221, and 378°K have been observed. These peaks are analyzed by different methods and the activation energies which were obtained are compared. The activation energies are found to be 0.22, 0.48, and 1.45 eV for the peaks with maxima at 160, 221, and 378°K, respectively. Second-order kinetics is appropriate to all these cases. The glow peaks are attributed to the decay of the free radicals formed on irradiation and subsequent thermal stimulation. The peak with the maximum at 160°K is attributed to electron trapping by the carbonyl groups or peroxy radicals formed on irradiation. The curve with the peak at 221°K is attributed to the cyclohexadienyl radical, and the curve with the peak at 378°K is attributed to the chain radical ? CH₂? C (C₆H₅)? CH₂? . The centers responsible for the observed thermoluminescence are identified by correlation with electron spin resonance (ESR) data obtained on the same samples.     

Suitability of Thermoluminescence for the Detection of Irradiated Chicken and Fish

Chicken and fish have been investigated for the detection of radiation treatment using thermoluminescence (TL) technique. The samples were irradiated by ⁶⁰Co gamma-source at the absorbed doses of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 kGy. TL response of treated and untreated samples in the temperature range of 50–300 °C was measured using TL reader with a temperature profile of 10 °C/s. The results revealed that TL values increased with temperature and maximum signal were obtained at 195 °C, in each case. It was also observed that the TL intensities enhanced with the absorbed doses (1–5 kGy) and the increase was dependent on the absorbed dose. From this study it is concluded that the TL technique is a rapid, simple and promising method for identifying chicken and fish treated with gamma-irradiation.     

Multi elemental analysis of indigenous food spices in Southern Ethiopia using INAA technique

The objective of this study is a quantitative and qualitative analysis of essential and trace elements of four indigenous Ethiopian spices and herbs using instrumental neutron activation analysis technique. Results obtained for 16 elements: Major elements; Mg, Cl, and K; Minor elements; Na, Fe, and Mn, Zn, Br. While Al, V, Sm, Sc, La, Ba, Eu, Rb were found in traces. The spices, Affromumom korarima and Lippa Adonesis var. Koseret sebsebe were found to be very good sources of essential trace elements like Fe, Zn and Mn. The highest concentration of Mg was found in Ajowan whereas K and Fe were measured in Coriander seeds. The average daily dietary intake of some essential elements from the use of these spices were found to be below the recommended upper limit by WHO.

     

Voltammetric determination of curcumin in spices

Curcumin is oxidized on a glassy carbon electrode in 0.1 M LiClO₄ in ethanol at the potential 0.74 V. The calibration graph is linear in the range 9.9 × 10^?6?1.07 × 10^?4 M curcumin; the detection limit is 4.1 × 10^?6 M. Curcumin is determined in model solutions. The relative standard deviation does not exceed 0.05. A procedure is proposed for the voltammetric determination of curcumin in spices. It was shown that single extraction by ethanol quantitatively recovers curcumin from spices.     

Thermoluminescence in the earth sciences and archeology

Over recent decades the uses of thermoluminescence have been expanding rapidly, as have advances in the equipment available for the determinations of this property shown by many materials. Despite this, the comparable growth of applications in the Earth and Archeological Sciences has been markedly overlooked in the mainstream thermal analysis literature, an omission this review sets out to rectify.     

Thermoluminescence of contaminating minerals for the detection of radiation treatment of dried fruits

Several types of dry fruits (pistachio nut, dried apricot, almond and raisins) have been investigated for detection of their radiation treatment by gamma rays or electron beam using thermoluminescence (TL) measurements. These samples were irradiated to 1.0–3.0 kGy (gamma rays) or 0.75–3.9 kGy (10 MeV electron beam). Thermoluminescence glow curves for the contaminating minerals separated from the dry fruits were recorded between the temperature range of 50°C and 500°C. In all the cases, the intensity of TL signal for the irradiated dry fruits was 1–3 orders of magnitudes higher than the TL intensity of the corresponding unirradiated control samples allowing clear distinction between the irradiated and unirradiated samples. These results were normalized by re-irradiating the mineral grains with a gamma-ray dose of 1.0 kGy, and a second glow curve was recorded. The ratio of intensity of the first glow curve (TL₁) to that after the normalization dose (TL₂), i.e. (TL₁/TL₂) was determined and compared with the recommended threshold values. These parameters, together with comparison of the shape of the first glow curve, gave unequivocal results about the radiation treatment of the dry fruit samples.     

Effect of irradiation for sterilization on beverage reference materials for the analysis of food additives

Accreditation and Quality Assurance - Reference materials for proficiency testing (PT) were prepared for 6 years. The target analytes were food additives, sorbic acid, benzoic acid, and...     

A Multichannel System for the Synchronous Recording of Processes during Thermoluminescence and Electroluminescence

Russian Journal of Physical Chemistry A - A version of a measuring system whose advantages include multifunctionality, simplicity, and availability of the main components is proposed. The system is...