Effect of γ irradiation on the physico-mechanical and chemical properties of potato (Solanum tuberosum L), cv. ‘Kufri Chandramukhi’ and ‘Kufri Jyoti’, during storage at 12 °C

• Sprouting completely inhibited at 0.05 kGy during storage at 12 °C.
• Irradiated (0.05–0.5 kGy) tubers looked firm and retained high textural parameters.
• Micrographs showed no damage to the cell walls at doses upto 0.5 kGy.
• No loss of tubers due to rotting was observed at 0.05 and 0.15 kGy.
• Dose-dependent accumulation of reducing and total sugars.

The study was carried out on two important cultivars of potato, ‘Kufri Jyoti’ and ‘Kufri Chandramukhi’, to evaluate the effectiveness of low dose gamma irradiation (0.05, 0.15 and 0.5 kGy) in maintaining the tuber qualities in terms of textural parameters (puncture force, shear force, work done, cohesiveness and gumminess), microstructure, sugar content and storage losses during storage of 120 days at 12 °C. Sprouting was completely inhibited even at the lowest dose studied, i.e., 0.05 kGy. All the irradiated tubers looked firm with no deterioration in appearance. The irradiated tubers retained higher textural parameters compared to the unirradiated controls. It was interesting to observe a noticeable increase in the textural parameters of the irradiated specimens of ‘K. Chandramukhi’. The scanning electron micrographs showed all the irradiated specimens with rigid cell walls. A dose dependent accumulation of reducing and total sugars was observed. Minimum accumulation of sugars occurred at 0.05 kGy. No loss of tubers due to rotting was observed at 0.05 and 0.15 kGy as compared to 6% loss observed in unirradiated controls. Thus, low dose irradiation (up to 0.15 kGy) with storage at 12 °C is an effective postharvest method for preserving the tuber qualities in potato.