Affiliations: [a] Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Lingnan Specialty Food Science and Technology, College of Light Industry and Food, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
| [b] Key Laboratory of Green Processing and Intelligent Manufacturing of Lingnan Specialty Food, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural affairs, Guangzhou, China
| [c] Guangzhou Furui High Energy Technology Co., Ltd., Guangdong Industrial 60Co-γ Application Engineering Technology Research Center, Guangzhou, China
Abstract: In the present study, the effects of 60Co-γ irradiation on the diversity of fungal microflora in blueberries during cold storage have been explored in detail. The effects of irradiation on the fungal microflora in blueberries could be observed at the lowest effective dose of 1.0 kGy. The genome library of fungal microflora in blueberries was evaluated by tusing Shannon, Simpson, Chao1, and ACE indices, presenting good coverage of blueberry samples. Principal coordinate analysis clarified the differences in the evolution and clustering of fungi in blueberries under different irradiation levels. The composition and diversity of fungal microflora in blueberries treated with different doses of radiation exhibited significant differences under cold storage of 4°C. However, most of the fungi belonged to the Ascomycota at the phylum. The fungal microflora was relatively stable at the initial stage of cold storage, however, the diversity of fungal species in irradiated blueberries varied greatly in the middle stage around the 15th day. This comprehensive study provides deeper insight about the effects of irradiation on the evolution of fungal microflora in blueberries during cold storage. The findings of this study lay a good foundation for post-harvest storage and preservation of blueberries.
