Decontamination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in pea seeds by gamma irradiation

In developing countries pluses such as peas are considered an important source of protein and energy for the majority of population. In the current work, gamma irradiation effects on the concentrations of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found in pea seeds were investigated prior and post gamma irradiation treatments. Seeds were exposed to gamma irradiation at 0, 1, 5, 10 and 15 kGy doses. PAHs were extracted and their concentrations at each dose was determined by a high performance liquid chromatography equipped with fluorescent detector. Results demonstrate that PAHs concentrations decreased as the gamma irradiation dose increased, as the 15 kGy gamma irradiation dose reduced the total PAHs in studied pea seeds by about 96% compared with control samples. The decontamination process observed by gamma irradiation was found to follow first-order kinetic models. Interestingly, gamma irradiation had no effect on the chemical composition of studied pea seeds. These findings are of great importance and clearly indicate the practical possibility of gamma irradiation in the decontamination of pea seeds from PAHs without changing their chemical content.