Effect of electron-beam irradiation on the antioxidant activity of extracts from Citrus unshiu pomaces

After electron-beam irradiation of citrus pomaces (CP), the total phenolic content (TPC), radical scavenging activity (RSA), and reducing power (RP) were evaluated. When CP were irradiated at 37.9 kGy; the TPC, RSA and RP of water extract of CP increased from 6543.2 to 7405.4 mu M, 37.6% to 52.9%, and 0.64 to 0.90, respectively, compared with the non-irradiated control. The results indicate that the electron-beam irradiation can be an efficient process for increasing the antioxidant activity of CP. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.