Effect of electron beam on the microbiological and sensory characteristics of squid jeotkal and its ingredients

A seasoned squid Jeotkal, Koran traditional fermented seafood, and its ingredients for manufacturing, including red hot pepper powder and ground garlic were irradiated by 0, 0.5, 1, 2 and 5 kGy electron beam and stored at 4 ℃ for 4 weeks to determine the changes of microorganisms and sensory characteristics. The initial contamination of squid Jeotkal such as total aerobic bacteria, yeast and mold, and coliform bacterial were at the levels of 2.88, 3.04 and 4.20 logCFU/g, respectively. However, 5 kGy electron beam irradiation reduced the total aerobic bacteria about 1 logCFU/g. Yeast and mold and coliform bacterial were reduced 1 ∼ 2 logCFU/g after 2 kGy irradiation and reached to undetected level when the sample was irradiated at 5 kGy and following storage at 4 ℃ for 4 weeks. Sensory characteristics showed that 5 kGy electron beam irradiation did not adversely affect overall acceptability of squid Jeotkal and its ingredients during 4 ℃ storage. Therefore, electron beam irradiation is one of the possible methods to improve storage stability of seasoned squid Jeotkal. (authors)