Fruit of 'Climax' rabbiteye blueberries (Vaccinium ashei Reade) were i
rradiated by a linear accelerator at 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, and 1.25
kGy and evaluated for various quality attributes after storage for 1,
3, 7, or 14 days at 1C plus 2 days at 15C, respectively. Weight loss
increased during storage and averaged 4.2% after the final inspection
and was not affected by irradiation dosage. About 5% of total berries
were decayed after 14 days at 1C, about 6% after the final inspection
at 15C, but decay was not affected by the level of irradiation. Electr
olyte leakage, skin color, total soluble solids, acidity, and pH were
also not affected by irradiation dosage. There was a significant decli
ne in berry firmness, flavor, and texture as dosage increased. Berries
treated at 1.0 kGy or above were softer and had lower flavor and text
ure preference scores than berries treated at lower dosages or nontrea
ted berries.