Foundation for Food Irradiation Education
Food irradiation is the use of ionizing radiation or ionizing energy to treat foods, either packaged or in bulk form. Ionizing radiation may come from one of three sources - radioactive isotopes of cobalt or caesium, electron accelorators or X-rays. All three sources produce similar effects since they all fall in the short-wave, high energy region of the spectrum.
The dose is the quantity of radiation energy absorbed by the food as it passes through the radiation field during processing. Dose is generally measured in Grays (G) or kiloGrays (kGy) where 1 Gray = 0.001 kGy = 1 joule of energy absorbed per kilogram of food irradiated. Dose can also be measured in Rads (100 Rads = 1 Gray).
Different dosages are used to produce different effects in foods. Some of these include:
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extension of shelf-life of fruits (0.5-1.5 kGy) |
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Control of harmful bacteria in fresh meat and poultry (1.5-4.5 kGy) |
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control of insects, parasites or micro-organisms (0.15 to <1kGy) |
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delay of ripening (0.5-2 kGy) |
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inhibition of sprouting (0.05-0.15 kGy) |
Presently over 30 countries have approved applications to irradiate approximately 40 different foods. These include such items as fruits, vegetables, spices, grains, seafood, meat and poultry. More than one half of a million tonnes of food is now irradiated throughout the world on a yearly basis. Although this amount represents only a fraction of the food consumed annually, it is constantly growing. This trend is due to three main factors -
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High losses of food due to insect infestation and spoilage: Economic losses due to insects and microbes have been estimated to fall between $5 and $17 billion yearly in the US alone. Food irradiation can help reduce these losses and can also reduce our dependence on chemical pesticides, some of which are extremely harmful to the environment (eg. methyl bromide). |
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Increasing concern over food-borne illness: Deaths attributed to food poisoning in the US hover around 7000 annually. Diarrhoeal disease strikes 10's of millions of Americans each year. Food irradiation can help to alleviate human suffering. |
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Growing international trade in food products: As our economies become more global, food products must meet high standards of quality and quarantine in order to move across borders. Irradiation is an important tool in the fight to prevent the spread of deleterious insects and micro-organisms. |
No. Other products that are commonly irradiated include medical disposables and hospital supplies, cosmetics ingredients, joint implants, wine and bottle corks and food packaging materials.
A world-wide standard for food irradiation was accepted in 1983. It was adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, a joint body of the FAO of the UN and the WHO. The standard is based on the results of a Joint Expert Committee on Food Irradiation study that stated that irradiation of any food commodity up to 10 kGy presents no toxicological or nutritional hazards in foods.
Foods can be irradiated either in bulk or in final packaging. Extensive studies have shown that most packaging materials can be irradiated effectively and safely. Approved lists are available from each country.
If you would like to find out more specific information about different aspects of food irradiation check out our Articles and Publications page. We get lots of questions about food irradiation too. Your question may have already been answered on our "You asked..." page. If you cannot find what you need to know here, you may want to try one of our Links.