Cold pasteurization of frozen crushed garlics using electron beam irradiation and the stability of bioactive components

Abstract

Recently, the market for ready-to-use vegetables has increased largely due to consumer demands, which led to the production of minimally-processed frozen crushed garlic products. This study was designed to determine the effect of electron beam irradiation (0-7 kGy) on microbial decontamination, bioactive compounds, and antimicrobial activities of frozen crushed garlic obtained from Korea and China. The microbial counts (total bacteria, yeasts & molds) were reduced from log 3-4 CFU/g to non-detectable levels as a result of irradiation at 4 kGy. Irradiation treatment at 4 kGy did not affect the amount of alliin, allicin, total pyruvate, and total thiosulfinate of crushed garlic, however, this dose induced insignificant changes in antibacterial activities against pathogenic bacteria including Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enteritidis, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Yersinia enterocolitica. Therefore, electron beam irradiation less than 4 kGy can be considered suitable to improve the microbial decontamination without altering the biological activity of frozen garlics.