A quantitative and qualitative investigation of the impact of irradiation on the physico-chemical of pointed gourd during storage.

Irradiation effect on the physico-chemical characteristics and shelf stability of pointed gourd was investigated in research. It was estimated that moisture content, total phenol and total carotenoids was significantly (p≤0.05) decreased while physiological loss in weight, total soluble solids, lutein and α-cryptoxanthin were increased during the completion of study. The three carotenoid pigments (β-carotene, lutein, α-cryptoxanthin) were identified by Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and spectrophotometric method and its changes reported during storage in control and irradiated sample. The principal component analysis showed that b* value, Physiological Loss Weight (PLW), adhesiveness and acidity have negative correlation with rest of the parameters during storage. The research will present a progressive strategy for increasing the storage stability of pointed gourd during transportation and storage in India's government and private mandis. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-022-05395-3. © Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (India) 2022.