Quality of fresh fruits irradiated at disinfestation doses

Quality retention of fresh fruits treated with gamma-radiation for disinfestation is one of the criteria for the feasibility of the radiation process. The effectiveness of radiation disinfestation of Hawaii-grown papayas infested by three species of tropical fruit flies and California-grown citrus and stone fruits infested by Mediterranean fruit files (Ceratitis capitata) and the sensory qualities of these irradiated fruits were recently studied in Hawaii. Experimental results showed that papaya can be irradiated to 1.0 kGy without any adverse effects on its sensory and nutrient qualities. A radiation dose of 0.3 kGy should present no problems to the sensory qualities of California stone and citrus fruits. California citrus can tolerate higher doses (0.50-0.75 KGy) than stone fruits, especially if refrigerated storage follows irradiation. Better control of harvesting, shipping, and handling should also help retain the qualities of these irradiated fruits