abstract
- Studies evaluating the effects of ionizing radiation in mushrooms are mostly available in cultivated species, being scarce reports on wild species, considered add-value foods. In the present work, the effects of gamma radiation dose (0, 0.5 and 1 kGy) and storage time (0 to 8 days at 5 ºC) on the physical parameters (colour, cap diameter and weight) of the wild edible mushroom Lactarius deliciosus were evaluated. It was observed a slight decrease in redness (a) with irradiation dose and a slight decrease in the cap diameter with storage time. Regarding the weight loss profiles along the 8 days of storage, the results were very similar for irradiated and non-irradiated samples. Overall, this study demonstrated that up to 1 kGy, gamma irradiation and cold storage did not affect significantly the assayed physical properties.