QUALITY OF SHARPBLUE BLUEBERRIES AFTER ELECTRON-BEAM IRRADIATION

Freshly harvested 'Sharpblue' blueberries (Vaccinium spp,), a hybrid o f complex parentage (Sharpe and Sherman, 1976), were irradiated by ele ctron beam at 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, or 1.0 kGy to determine its effects on condition and quality after treatment and subsequent storage, Berry firmness was not affected by increased doses following 1 or 3 days of storage at 1C, but it declined with higher doses when stored for 7 da ys at 1C, In general, berry flavor and texture declined as dosage incr eased; however, neither flavor nor texture were rated unacceptable by a sensory panel, Weight loss, decay, soluble solids concentration, aci dity, pH, skin color, or waxy bloom were not affected by dosage or sto rage.