Processing conditions were established for developing shelf stable ‘intermediate moisture’ (IM) cabbage and cauliflower. The new protocols were based on the hurdle technology (HT) - a mild heat treatment, addition of 1% Potassium meta bi sulphite as antimicrobial agent, partial dehydration to lower water activity (aw ) using two methods - Infrared drying (IR) and Tray drying (TD). The IM vegetables prepared were packed in 400 gauge polyethylene covers and treated with low doses of gamma radiation as major hurdle technologyand observed for shelf life stability at ambient conditions (30oC and 65% RH). The physical, chemical and pathological stability were monitored during storage. Infra-red dried (IR) vegetables treated with gamma radiation at 0.75-1.0 kGyyielded a product with improved rehydration potential, appearance and maximum nutrient retention up to 43.1%-44.6 % of vitamin C with maximum shelf life of 5 to 7 months.No significant changes   were noticed in scores for color, taste, flavor, texture and overall acceptability during storage period. The growth of microbes were controlled throughout the study resulting in shelf stable IM vegetables.

Among the four treatments studied, infrared dried with radiation dose of  0.75 kGy for cauliflower and1.0 kGy for cabbage  was found to be best in obtaining high quality IM products with optimum sensory, microbial, nutritional quality and storability.

AFB1 is the main aflatoxin found in pistachios, and as it is dangerous for health, the European Union (EU) has set a maximum level at 8 µg/kg in pistachios in 10 kg samples. Given that efficient sampling plans must be used in order to determine this contaminant level accurately, a mathematical validation of sampling plans has to be achieved with to Operating Characteristics curves. However, a prerequisite before drawing these curves is to assess the contaminant distribution within the food lot as well as to determine the variability between samples taken from the food lot. This is difficult to achieve for AFB1 in pistachios, as the contamination incidence rate is low, and concentrations differ greatly between food items. More precisely, the contaminant is heterogeneously distributed. Contrarily to current contaminant distribution assessment methods used on a regulatory basis and which are based directly on variability between samples, the method developed relied first on variability between individual pistachios, before computing the variability between samples, thus triggering more reliable results. This work assessed the distribution and incidence of aflatoxin in pistachio nuts, thanks to a Monte Carlo simulation, with pistachios split into categories, which were early split sound kernel, cracked sound kernel, and mouldy pistachios. A 30 kg sample size of Iranian pistachios for export to Europe was considered. Differences between good and bad lots were taken into account with lots split into 3 classes for mean contamination levels in export packages. Simulation results were in good accordance with observed contamination levels in Iran.