Nutrient Content Variation of Onion Bulbs (Allium cepa): A Gamma Irradiation Study

Abstract

In this study, the nutrient content variation in onion bulbs (Allium cepa): a gamma irradiation study was investigated. Red onion (Allium cepa) bulbs samples from Mbayion district in Gboko, Benue State, Nigeria were irradiated with gamma radiation of doses 0.05 kGy, 0.08 kGy, 0.11 kGy and 0.14 kGy (kilogray) respectively at an average dose rate of 0.46 kGy/h (460Gy/h) and some un-irradiated ones used as control. All were monitored during storage for 3 months. Results reveal that the nutrient content, the macro elements concentration in the onion bulbs was in the order Na > K > Mg, while for the trace elements, the order was Zn > Mn > Cd > Pb > Ni > Cu. This was same for both the irradiated and un-irradiated. Furthermore, the results suggest that radiation processing preserved the quality of onion bulbs through preservation of macronutrients. Based on these results, it was recommended that microbiological studies should be conducted on the irradiated onions to study the suitable dose for preventing rot in red onion bulbs (Allium cepa).