Combined electron beam irradiation and chitosan coating improve the storage stability of highland barley

Highland barley (HB) is valued for its rich nutritional profile but is highly susceptible to lipid oxidation and quality deterioration during storage. This study investigated the effects of electron beam irradiation (EBI), chitosan coating (CS), and their combined application (EBI-CS) on the storage stability of HB kernels over 240 days. Key quality attributes, including lipid oxidation markers, pasting and textural properties, and antioxidant capacity, were systematically evaluated. Both EBI and CS treatments significantly suppressed lipid oxidation by inhibiting increases in lipase activity, free fatty acids (FFA), malondialdehyde (MDA), and peroxide value (POV), with the EBI-CS treatment demonstrating the lowest levels of these oxidation markers throughout storage, thereby exhibiting clear advantages over individual treatments. After 240 days of storage, EBI-CS treatment demonstrated reductions of 25.90% in lipase activity, 37.59% in FFA content, and 39.02% in POV compared to the Untreated group. CS treatment effectively reduced moisture loss and enhanced the pasting viscosity of HB kernels, whereas EBI significantly reduced pasting viscosity and textural properties. Additionally, EBI-CS treatment minimized moisture loss while better maintaining the nutritional composition and textural stability during storage, consistent with microstructural observations. Although EBI enhanced ABTS radical scavenging activity, CS treatment reduced antioxidant capacity. Overall, the combined EBI-CS treatment provided a more pronounced protective effect than either treatment alone, offering a sustainable, low-energy, and safe strategy for extending the storage stability of cereal grains. These findings highlight the potential of EBI-CS as an innovative postharvest preservation technology for grain storage.