Advantages of irradiation

Five advantages of irradiation is given below:

1. Minimize Food losses: Radiation disinfestation and shelf-life extension can reduce the
food losses of fresh foods. A great deal of the postharvest losses due to insect
infestation can be controlled and minimized by irradiating foods such as grains, pulses,
tubers, and fruits. Also, shelf life of tubers and some fruits can be extended through
sprout inhibition or delayed ripening.
2. Improve Public Health: The decontamination of these fresh foods by irradiation can
improve public health concern.The use of irradiation up to 3.0 kGy to decontaminate
poultry, and up to 1.0 kGy to control Trichinella spiralis in pork carcasses is approved in
the United States. Irradiation is also a method to ensure hygienic quality of solid food.
3. Increase International Trade: Many fresh foods are not candidates or are disqualified
for international trade due to (i) infestation by insects, (ii) infection by microorganisms,
and (iii) their limited shelf life, which restricts long-distance shipments. Irradiation can
increase or improve the trade of fresh foods over international markets by providing an
effective quarantine procedure for infested or infected foods, or help to prolong the
shelf life.
4. An Alternative to Fumigation of Food: Various chemicals, such as ethylene dibromide,
methyl bromide, and ethylene oxide, are used for fumigation of food and food
ingredients. But they are toxic for the environment. Low-dose irradiation of 0.2–0.7kGy
can control insect infestation of grain and other stored products.
5. Increase Energy Saving: The energy used for irradiation of food is small compared to
canning, refrigeration, or frozen storage. The total energy used for refrigerated raw cut-
up chicken is 17,760 kJ/kg, for frozen chicken 46,600 kJ/kg, and for canned chicken meat
20,180 kJ/kg. In comparison, refrigerated and irradiated raw cut-up chicken requires a
total of 17,860 kJ/kg.

Effects of Irradiation on Food Components

In addition to microbial growth, the effects of irradiation on other nutritional components need
to be identified before using the technology. The effects of irradiation on nutritional qualities of
foods are given below:

 Effect on proteins: low and medium doses cause only a small breakdown of food
proteins into lower molecular weight protein parts and amino acids. At high doses,
irradiation can result in protein denaturation, with resulting loss of food quality
Irradiation also affects the functional properties of proteins. In case of egg, the doses
 required for effective Salmonella reduction give undesirable side effects, such as loss of
viscosity in the white and off-flavors in the yolk.
 Effect on carbohydrates: When subjected to radiation, the complex carbohydrates
breakdown into simpler sugars, while the monosaccharides breakdown into sugars acids
and ketones. Consequently, low and medium radiation doses have little effect on the
nutritional value of carbohydrates. High radiation doses, however, can deteriorate
fibrous plant cell wall material leading to a deterioration of texture and loss of quality.
 Effect on lipids: At low and medium doses, the effect of irradiation on the nutritional
content of lipids is minimal. the irradiation of lipids at high doses, and especially in the
presence of oxygen, can lead to the formation of liquid hydro peroxides which have
undesirable odors and flavors. The unsaturated fatty acids are more prone to develop
rancidity. At 10 kGy, 20% increase in total free lipids and 46% decrease in bound lipids
were observed.
 Effect on vitamins: The extent of vitamin C, E, and K destruction depends on the dosage
used, and thiamine is very labile to irradiation. The losses are low with low dose.
Ascorbic acid in solution is quite labile to irradiation but in fruits and vegetables seems
quite stable at low doses of treatment. Vitamins particularly those with antioxidant
activity, such as A, B12, C, E, K, and thiamine, are degraded when irradiation is carried
out in the presence of oxygen.
 Effect on enzymes: Enzymes in foods must be inactivated prior to irradiation because it
is much more resistant to radiation than microorganisms. Generally, it may be said that
complete inactivation of enzymes requires about 5–10 times the dose required for the
destruction of microorganisms. The D values of enzyme can be 50 kGy and almost four D
values would be required for complete destruction [22]. Thus, some important nutrients
can be destroyed for this high dose.

Effect of Irradiation on Foodborne Parasites

Parasites Minimum effective Effect of irradiation

dose(KGy)
Protozoa: Toxoplasma .09-0.7 Parasite killed or elimination
gondii of infectivity
Trematodes: Fasciola .03 Inhibits maturation
hepatica
Cestodes: Taenia >3 Complete inactivation of
larvae
Nematodes: Anisakis 6 Reduced larval penetration
species

Application of Irradiation
Food irradiation is one of the most extensively and thoroughly studied methods of food
preservation.The application of food irradiation is given below:

1) Inhibition of sprouting of potatoes,yams,onions and garlic.

2) Killing and sterilizing insects (disinfestation of food).
3) Prevention of reproduction of food-borne parasites .
4) Decrease of after-ripening and delaying senescence of some fruit and vegetables.
5) extension of shelf-life of food by reduction of microbial populations.
6) Elimination of viable non-sporeforming pathogenic microorganisms (other than viruses)
in fresh and frozen food.
7) Reduction or elimination of microbial population in dry food ingredients.
8) Reducing the number of viable microorganisms in enzyme-inactivated foods to such an
extent that no microbial spoilage or food poisoning should occur .