TIME-DEPENDENT POSTIRRADIATION OXIDATIVE CHEMICAL-CHANGES IN DEHYDRATED EGG PRODUCTS

Radiation-induced oxidative chemical changes in whole egg and egg yolk powder were followed in time after irradiation as a function of dose, dose rate, and storage atmosphere. In evacuated samples of whole egg powder the decay of lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH) was pseudo-first order (k = 0.088 day-1), while carotenoids did not decay at all. In the presence of air both lipid hydroperoxides and carotenoids decayed during postirradiation storage. The decay of LOOH could be treated by dispersive kinetics with the measure of dispersion, alpha = 0.51 +/- 0.05, independent of dose, and the effective lifetime tau inversely related to dose. The decay of carotenoids could also be treated by dispersive kinetics, with the values of alpha decreasing with increasing dose. The effective lifetimes of carotenoids did not depend on dose in samples irradiated in vacuum. In samples irradiated and stored in air the effective lifetimes decreased with dose, faster in egg yolk than in whole egg powder. The complex nature of postirradiation kinetics in solid food systems is discussed.