Food Irradiation

Catherine M. Deeley et. al., 28 February 2006 | This report summarises the content of a tutorial on the development of food irradiation to-date with respect to legislation, volumes treated, plant development and market opportunities, presented at the 14th International Meeting on Radiation Processing in Kuala Lumpur in February 2006.

Richard G. Hunter, USA 2 March 2006 | The volume of fruits and vegetables irradiated for phytosanitary purposes will increase dramatically during the next decade. The irradiator type, product movement system, location and operational parameters of the irradiator are critical and careful selection is needed to achieve a functional and economical system. These factors are highly interrelated.

S. Guzmán, Mexico, 2 March 2006 | The treatment of foodstuff by gamma-irradiation has been showed to be an adequate technique for improving their hygienic quality and extending their shelf-life. Spices are widely used in the food industry and they are attractive candidates for irradiation. It is important assure an effective means for inactivating microorganism with a minimal chemical alteration and have reliable and sensitive detection methods for identification of radiation processing of the foodstuffs.

Rocco Basson, South Africa, 2 March 2008| The development of new markets, and expansion of lucrative markets, which are under supplied with fresh fruit form South Africa, is a strategic objective of the SA fruit industry. For example, the USA is a market with enormous growth potential. However, market access to the USA is complicated due to the occurrence of phytosanitary insects which may occur on fruit exported from South Africa.

Mihalis Cutrubinis, Romania, 2 March 2006 | IRASM Irradiation Center, the only provider of industrial scale irradiation services in Romania, operates a tote-box Co-60 irradiator and a microbiology laboratory. Because of the restrictive regulations and the public awareness against ionizing radiation, for now no food products are irradiated in Romania and no good perspectives can be drawn for the close future. In order to fulfill by Romania the European task for market survey, IRASM has established a laboratory for detection of irradiated foodstuffs.