Despite the impressive advances in electron beam irradiation, the technology is not ready for application to all types of fresh and/or minimally processed fruits and vegetables. The relationships between food product quality (nutrients, colour and texture) and irradiation dose are still needed. Cantaloupes (Cucumis melo, L.) have become a product of interest due to the recent food-borne illness outbreaks related to their consumption in the United States and other countries. The main goal of this study was to verify whether treatment of cantaloupes using electron beam technology has any detrimental effects on the product quality. Whole and fresh-cut packaged cantaloupes were irradiated using a linear electron beam accelerator with the single beam (10MeV) fixture. Samples were stored at 10°C for zero, 4, 8 and 12 days along with control (non-irradiated) samples and tested for colour, texture (firmness), size (density), sugars and carotene content to determine the effect of irradiation dose level (1.0, 1.5 and 3.1kGy). Results indicated that irradiation of cantaloupes, as whole fruits with dose up to 1.0kGy, caused no significant changes on the fruit’s physical and nutritional quality attributes. Irradiating at higher doses had an undesirable effect on product quality. The fresh-cut packaged cantaloupe may be irradiated up to 1.5kGy without worsening the product quality attributes. In both cases, carotene content slightly increased as irradiation dose increased. In general, samples irradiated with dose levels between 1.0-1.5kGy had better quality attributes than the non-irradiated samples.

Flow characterization of ground materials based on standard physical properties is not always accurate and must be complemented with other properties that help characterize their flowability. The flow properties of yellow cornmeal as a function of moisture content (10.0%, 13.5% 17.0%, and 20.0% wet basis) and concentrations of added conditioner (calcium stearate, a caking agent classified at GRAS, at 0.50%, 0.75%, and 1.00% wt/wt) were measured. The optimum flow behavior characteristics of the cornmeal were achieved at 0.50% wt/wt calcium stearate and 10.0% (w.b.) moisture content based on the flow function test. Overall, the material's flowability decreased with increased moisture content based on very high values for Hausner's ratio, Carr's Index, and angle of repose. The flow index (ff_c) obtained by the flow function test decreased from 6.47 to 3.82 as moisture increased, indicating increased cohesivity. Calcium stearate increased the flowability of the material at 0.50% wt/wt, beyond which the flowability was not affected (p > .05). Samples were very hygroscopic and classified as Class IV. The Hausner's ratio, Carr's Index, and angle of repose showed a strong linear relationship with the flow index with correlation values of 0.91, 0.88, and 0.88, respectively. Isotherms together with physical properties should be used to determine the flow characteristics of granulated materials such as yellow cornmeal to establish the best storage and processing conditions.