Amal Badshah Khattak

Impact of germination time and type of illumination on carotenoidcontent, protein solubility and in vitro protein digestibility of chickpea(Cicer arietinum L.) sprouts

Sprouts have been reported to be nutritionally superior to their respective seeds with higher levels of nutrients and lower amounts of antinutrients. Significant differences occur in these nutrients and antinutrients with germination under different types of illumination. This paper reports the impact of germination conditions on changes in β-carotene content, protein solubility and in vitro protein digestibility of chickpea sprouts. The influence of germination time, type of illumination and their interaction on β-carotene content, protein solubility and in vitro protein digestibility of chickpea sprouts was highly significant (p<0.01). Highest value for β-carotene were observed for sprouts germinated under yellow light for 72h (131.74mg 100g(-1)) and lowest for blue light group after 120h germination. Sprouts of irradiated group had overall higher content of β-carotene throughout germination period. Protein solubility was also higher for sprouts of irradiated group and green illumination group after 120h germination. Sprouts of irradiated group had highest value for% in vitro protein digestibility after 96h germination followed by the same group after 120h germination. It is inferred from the study that irradiation of chickpea seed prior to germination improved the β-carotene content, protein solubility and in vitro protein digestibility of chickpea sprouts.

Shelf Life Extension of Minimally Processed Cabbage and Cucumber through Gamma Irradiation

The influence of irradiation of minimally processed cabbage and cucumber on microbial safety, texture, and sensory quality was investigated. Minimally processed, polyethylene-packed, and irradiated cabbage and cucumber were stored at refrigeration temperature (5 degrees C) for 2 weeks. The firmness values ranged from 3.23 kg (control) to 2.82 kg (3.0-kGy irradiated samples) for cucumbers, with a gradual decrease in firmness with increasing radiation dose (0 to 3 kGy). Cucumbers softened just after irradiation with a dose of 3.0 kGy and after 14 days storage, whereas the texture remained within acceptable limits up to a radiation dose of 2.5 kGy. The radiation treatment had no effect on the appearance scores of cabbage; however, scores decreased from 7.0 to 6.7 during storage. The appearance and flavor scores of cucumbers decreased with increasing radiation dose, and overall acceptability was better after radiation doses of 2.5 and 3.0 kGy. The aerobic plate counts per gram for cabbage increased from 3 to 5 log CFU (control), from 1.85 to 2.93 log CFU (2.5 kGy), and from a few colonies to 2.6 log CFU (3.0 kGy) after 14 days of storage at 5 degrees C. A similar trend was noted for cucumber samples. No coliform bacteria were detected at radiation doses greater than 2.0 kGy in either cabbage or cucumber samples. Total fungal counts per gram of sample were within acceptable limits for cucumbers irradiated at 3.0 kGy, and for cabbage no fungi were detected after 2.0-kGy irradiation. The D-values for Escherichia coli in cucumber and cabbage were 0.19 and 0.17 kGy, and those for Salmonella Paratyphi A were 0.25 and 0.29 kGy for cucumber and cabbage, respectively.