Modeling and experimental assessment of naturally occurring radionuclides' transfer factors of orange fruits.

The soil-to-orange fruit transfer factor of naturally occurring radionuclides was investigated. The temporal evolution of the three identified radionuclides, Ra-226, Th-232, and K-40, concentration was also examined throughout the growth period of the orange fruits until they reached maturity. A mathematical model was developed to predict the soil-to-fruit transfer of these radionuclides during the development of orange fruits. The results were found to agree with the experimental data. The experimental and modeling results revealed that the transfer factor for all radionuclides showed a similar exponential decline with the growth of the fruit and reached its minimum value when the fruit was ripe.