Post Harvest Preservation of Cucumis Sativus Through Gamma Irradiation : Quality control and shelf life extension

Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) belongs to the family of cucurbitaceae. It is an economically important vegetable crop cultivated in over 80 countries with more than 66 million production annually. The current study involves the use of gamma radiation to enhance the shelf life of cucumber. For this purpose, cucumber sample was subjected to Co-60 gamma irradiation at different doses 1, 1.5 and 2 kGy. Microbial and sensory analysis was carried out for all the treatments. Irradiation dose of 1.5 kGy was found to be the most effective dose at which both microbiological and sensory attributes remained within acceptable limits while shelf life of cucumber was extended upto 5 days.