Improving Grain Safety Using Radiation Dose Technologies

Raushangul Uazhanova, Meruyert Ametova (), Zhanar Nabiyeva, Igor Danko, Gulzhan Kurtibayeva, Kamilya Tyutebayeva, Aruzhan Khamit, Dana Myrzamet, Ece Sogut and Maxat Toishimanov ()
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Raushangul Uazhanova: Department of Food Safety and Quality, Faculty of Food Technology, Almaty Technological University, Almaty 050012, Kazakhstan
Meruyert Ametova: Department of Food Safety and Quality, Faculty of Food Technology, Almaty Technological University, Almaty 050012, Kazakhstan
Zhanar Nabiyeva: Research Institute of Food Safety, Almaty Technological University, Almaty 050012, Kazakhstan
Igor Danko: Institute of Nuclear Physics, Almaty 050032, Kazakhstan
Gulzhan Kurtibayeva: Institute of Nuclear Physics, Almaty 050032, Kazakhstan
Kamilya Tyutebayeva: Department of Technology and Standardization, Faculty of Technology, K.Kulazhanov Kazakh University of Technology and Business, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan
Aruzhan Khamit: Department of Food Safety and Quality, Faculty of Food Technology, Almaty Technological University, Almaty 050012, Kazakhstan
Dana Myrzamet: Department of Food Safety and Quality, Faculty of Food Technology, Almaty Technological University, Almaty 050012, Kazakhstan
Ece Sogut: Food Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta 71100, Turkey
Maxat Toishimanov: Food and Environment Safety Laboratory, Kazakh National Agrarian Research University, Almaty 050010, Kazakhstan

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 15, 1-22

Abstract: Reducing post-harvest losses of cereal crops is a key challenge for ensuring global food security amid the limited arable land and growing population. This study investigates the effectiveness of electron beam irradiation (5 MeV, ILU-10 accelerator) as a physical decontamination method for various cereal crops cultivated in Kazakhstan. Samples were irradiated at doses ranging from 1 to 5 kGy, and microbiological indicators—including Quantity of Mesophilic Aerobic and Facultative Anaerobic Microorganisms (QMAFAnM), yeasts, and molds—were quantified according to national standards. Experimental results demonstrated an exponential decline in microbial contamination, with a >99% reduction achieved at doses of 4–5 kGy. The modeled inactivation kinetics showed strong agreement with the experimental data: R 2 = 0.995 for QMAFAnM and R 2 = 0.948 for mold, confirming the reliability of the exponential decay models. Additionally, key quality parameters—including protein content, moisture, and gluten—were evaluated post-irradiation. The results showed that protein levels remained largely stable across all doses, while slight but statistically insignificant fluctuations were observed in moisture and gluten contents. Principal component analysis and scatterplot matrix visualization confirmed clustering patterns related to radiation dose and crop type. The findings substantiate the feasibility of electron beam treatment as a scalable and safe technology for improving the microbiological quality and storage stability of cereal crops.

Keywords: grain crops; shelf life; spoilage microorganisms; food irradiation; food safety (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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