ECONOMIC STUDY OF INHIBITION OF POTATO SPROUTING BY GAMMA IRRADIATION

摘要

The purpose of this report is to evaluate the possibility of using gamma irradiation of potatoes as a commercial process to inhibit sprouting. The objective of the process is to put at the public's disposal a product of good quality and low cost, when cultivation and marketing conditions are such that the supply is less than the demand and the price of potatoes in¬creases significantly at certain times of the year.nThe report consists of three parts. The first summarizes the variables that characterize the production and marketing of potatoes in Argentina, and the second, information on experiments carried out in Argentina and other countries on potato-sprout inhibition by irradiation, together with the re¬sults obtained. Both parts are essentially a recapitulation of available documents, but consideration is given to the data needed for formulating the petition for authorization to apply the process to products for public consumption. The third, and final, part was developed by analyzing the economic advantages of the process, and not only are the unit costs of the process calculated, but the general results of introducing the treated pro¬duct into the market are also discussed.