effect of treatment time and dosage of fast electron irradiation on white garlic (allium sativum l.) during storage

irradiation is known to inhibit waste in stored garlic. treatment time and optimum irradiation dosage are two key factors in achieving the least waste in this process. these two factors were investigated on white ecotype bulbs from hamedan, iran that were irradiated after harvest for 30 and 45 days using fast electrons at dosages of 0, 25, 50, 75, 100, and 150 gy. different properties of the garlic were measured bimonthly over eight months of storage under both cold and uncontrolled conditions. the results showed that sprouting was observed only in non-irradiated cloves and irradiated cloves showed no signs of external sprouting. weight loss for non-irradiated bulbs was greater than for the irradiated cloves. the minimum weight loss for cold storage was less than 1% per week at dosages of 50 gy and higher. for uncontrolled storage, this minimum was achieved at dosages of 75 gy and higher after 300 days. total pyruvate, particularly up to 120 days of storage, increased sharply and there was no significant difference between them at the end of storage. while the firmness of irradiated cloves at the end of storage was not significant, the greatest firmness was observed for cold storage at dosages of 50 gy and higher. for the uncontrolled conditions, this was measured at 75 gy and higher. during storage, both color change and non-enzymatic pyruvate increased. more change was observed during irradiation at 45 days after harvest than at 30 days. consequently, it concluded that for garlic bulbs in cold storage, 50 gy is the optimum dosage of irradiation and, for uncontrolled conditions, 75 gy is optimum. for both storage conditions, irradiation for 30 days after harvesting seems to be the most suitable period.