• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.3 no.4
• /
• pp.233-239
• /
• 1988

Vegetable mixed codiments, commercial products prepared using soybean,paste and natto, respectively as the ingredients, were used ina study to evaluate the efficacy of gamma irradiationas a means of decontamination and the emphasis was placed upon the determination of the effect of irradiation on the microbiological and some physicochemical properties of the samples. The number of microorganisms contaminated ranged from $10^{6}\;to\;10^{7}$ cells per gram in mesophilic total bacteria, which were composed of thermophilts and acid tolerant bacteria by over 90%. They were reduced by 3 to 4 log cycles with irradiation at 10 kGy. Gamma irradiation at 5 kGy could eliminate the microbial populations of yeasts and molds ($10^{2}\;to\;10^{3}$ cells per gram) and coliforms ($10^{6}\;to\;10^{6}$ cells per gram of natto condiments). However, total destruction of microorganisms in soybean-paste and natto condiments was shown to be possible at a dose-range more than 10 kGy. Irradiationup to 10 kGy was not detrimental to the physicochemical properties of the sample, such as pH. amino nitrogen, rancidity and color, even though some change was brought about in the content of sulfur-containing amino acids.