Applying electron beam irradiation (EBI) technology to remove microbial contamination is a potential way to improve the efficiency of Chinese medical formula preservation. In this study, Qingxuan tablets (QXT) were irradiated at doses of 3, 5, 9, and 13 kGy of the electron beam, to investigate the impacts of EBI on the microbial load, physical properties, color, bioactive content, antioxidant activity, chromatograms, and spectral similarity of QXT. The results showed that EBI treatment at 13 kGy reduced the population of the total aerobic bacteria and the total molds and yeast of QXT to <200 CFU/g. Irradiation had no significant (P > 0.05) effect on the physical properties and color of QXT. However, the bioactive content of QXT was significantly lower at a dose of 13 kGy compared to unirradiated samples. The free radical scavenging capacity of QXT remained preserved after irradiation. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis) analyses showed that the difference in the chemical content between irradiated QXT and unirradiated samples gradually increased as the dose was increased from 0 kGy to 13 kGy. These results suggest that EBI can be used to sterilize and preserve Chinese medical formulas, but the irradiation dose should be controlled to prevent changes in quality.

中文翻译：

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电子束辐照对中药清旋片微生物污染及质量的影响

应用电子束辐照（EBI）技术去除微生物污染是提高中药配方保存效率的潜在途径。本研究以3、5、9、13 kGy的电子束辐照清玄片（QXT），研究EBI对其微生物负荷、物理性质、颜色、生物活性含量、抗氧化活性、 QXT 的色谱图和光谱相似性。结果表明，13 kGy 的 EBI 处理将 QXT 的需氧菌总数、霉菌和酵母菌总数降低至 <200 CFU/g。辐照对QXT的物理性能和颜色无显着影响（P>0.05）。然而，与未辐照样品相比，13 kGy 剂量下 QXT 的生物活性含量显着降低。辐照后QXT 的自由基清除能力仍然保留。高效液相色谱（HPLC）、傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）和紫外可见光谱（UV-Vis）分析表明，随着剂量的增加，辐照后的QXT与未辐照样品之间的化学含量差异逐渐增大。 0 kGy 至 13 kGy。这些结果表明EBI可用于中药配方食品的灭菌和保存，但应控制辐照剂量以防止质量变化。