Background: Saffron, the dried stigmas of crocus
sativus, is the world's most expensive spice which has
been used as food additive and flavoring agent. The
aim of the present study has been to investigate the
combination effects of gamma irradiation and silver
nano particles packing on the chemical properties of
saffron during storage time. A combination of hurdles
can ensure stability and microbial safety of foods.
Materials and Methods: To investigate the combination
effects, saffron samples were packed by Poly
Ethylene films which were possed up to 300 ppm
nano silver particles as antimicrobial agents and then
irradiated in cobalt – 60 irradiator (gamma cell
Model: PX30, dose rate 0.55 Gy/sec ) to 0, 1, 2 ,3
and 4 kGy at room temperature. UVspectrophotometer
was used to quantify the most
important components crocin, picrocrocin and
safranal which were respectively responsible for
color, taste and odor. Results: Statistical analysis
showed that irradiation and silver nano particles films
packing could increase the flavor and aroma of
saffron, and the best optimum dose of irradiation was
2 kGy. Also, sensory evaluation showed no significant
difference between them (P<0.05). Conclusion:
Hurdle technology has been more effective than
irradiation or nano-silver particles packing methods.
Therefore combined method can be used for microbial
decontamination of saffron with no significant
differences on chemical characteristics and sensory
attributes. Iran. J. Radiat. Res., 2012 9(4): 265-270
Hamid Sales E, Rajabifar S, Motamedi Sedeh F. Combined effects of gamma irradiation and silver nano particles packing on the chemical characteristics and sensory properties of saffron, using hurdle technology. Int J Radiat Res 2012; 9 (4) :265-270 URL: http://ijrr.com/article-1-821-en.html