QUALITY EVALUATION OF ONION IRRADIATED IN ARGENTINA AND STORED IN BRAZIL

The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of the onion c ultivar Valenciana Sintetica 14, irradiated with 60 Gy and sent by roa d from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Piracicaba, SP, Brazil. The irradia ted onion lot (20 bags of 20 kg each) and the control lot (20 bags of 20 kg each) were stored up to six months at 20 degrees C-28 degrees C and RH ranging from 50% to 100%. Quality control was made every month by physical, chemical and sensorial analysis. The radiation treatment reduced the weight loss of the bulbs and preserved the high percentage of marketable bulbs without affecting the sensorial properties. After 180 days of storage, the weight loss of unirradiated samples was 32%, significantly higher than irradiated samples (13%). The percentage of marketable bulbs was 92.3% for irradiated samples, and 52.3% for unir radiated samples.