Cereal Chem 66:171-172   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Effect of Gamma Irradiation on the Nutritional Quality of Grains and Legumes. II. Changes in Amino Acid P rofiles and Available Lysine.

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

Wheat, maize, chickpea, and mung bean seeds were irradiated at 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, and 5.0 kGy in a cobalt-60 gamma cell. Nonirradiated seeds served as controls. Comparison of amino acid profiles showed that sulfur- containing amino acids were radiation labile, particularly in the legumes. Significant losses in all cultivars also were noted for lysine, tyrosine, and isoleucine. However, the percent available lysine was higher in the irradiated seeds.