Vitamin E content and sensory qualities of γ-irradiated sunflower whole grain cookies

The sources of vitamin E in the diet are oils, margarines, seeds, nuts and cereal grains. Industrialized sunflower whole grain cookies were treated with gamma irradiation and evaluated for changes in vitamin E content and sensory properties. Radiation doses were 0.0, 1.0 and 3.0 kGy, the dose rate was 3.5 kGy/h. Irradiation at 1 and 3 kGy resulted in no changes in vitamin E content measured as α-tocopherol equivalents by a colorimetric measurement based method. A sensory panel composed of 22 trained members found that irradiation even at 1 kGy induced certain small, but statistically significant differences in sensory characteristics for appearance, aroma, texture and flavor attributes. From the obtained results, it is possible to conclude that there was a notorious stability of the vitamin content of the product submitted to γ-irradiation at the assayed doses. Meanwhile, irradiation at room temperature of this ready to eat food item caused small but statistically significant effects on sensory (marketing) attributes.