Cereal Chem 66:169-170   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Effects of Gamma Irradiation on the Nutritional Quality of Grain and Legumes. I. Stability of Niacin, Thiamin, and Riboflavin.

A. Badshah Khattak and C. F. Klopfenstein. Copyright 1989 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Seed from wheat, maize, mung bean, and chickpea was irradiated in a cobalt-60 gamma cell at a dose rate of 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, or 5.0 kGy. The irradiated seed was then analyzed for thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin and compared to the nonirradiated controls. Losses in thiamin content were significant, whereas riboflavin was unaffected. Niacin decreased slightly, but significantly, at higher doses of irradiation (2.5-5.0 kGy) in wheat, mungbean, and chickpea, whereas it was unaffected in maize.