Changes in thermoluminescence properties of minerals separated from irradiated potatoes and garlic during long-term storage under different light conditions

• DOI: 10.1007/s00217-012-1740-9
• Publication Date: 2012-04-28T03:53:44Z
• Authors: Jae-Jun Ahn; Gui-Ran Kim; Kashif Akram; Jeong-Sook Kim; Joong-Ho Kwon
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 0303 health sciences; 03 medical and health sciences

The effect of different light conditions on the specificity and reliability of thermoluminescence (TL) analysis to detect irradiated samples (potatoes and garlic) during 2 years of storage was investigated. The silicate minerals separated from the nonirradiated samples provided a low-intensity TL glow curve with a maximum peak after 300 °C demonstrating the absence of an irradiation history. The TL glow curve from the irradiated samples provided easy discrimination with TL glow curves of high intensity and maximum peak in temperatures range of 160–185 °C. The results were also confirmed by calculating the TL ratio (TL1/TL2) through normalization (re-irradiation) step. The key parameters of the TL analysis including the TL intensity, TL glow curve shape, and the TL ratio exhibited a time-dependent change. The bleaching effect of different light conditions was also significant, which was most prominent in the case of natural light with a prominent decrease in the TL intensity and ratio. The maximum TL glow peak also showed a shift towards the higher temperature. However, all irradiated samples, irrespective of the storage conditions and time, were easily discernable from the nonirradiated ones considering the shape and intensity of the TL glow curve.