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Food irradiation is considered a "cold" method, meaning it does not use heat to kill germs. Other food safety processes that you may be more familiar with, like pasteurization and canning, use heat. The irradiation process happens after a food is produced and packaged. Food enters a chamber where it is exposed to a specific amount of radiation.
- Overview
- 1. What is food irradiation?
- 2. Why irradiate food and how does irradiation protect food?
- 3. How much radiation is used?
- 4. Is irradiated food radioactive?
- 5. Are there currently any irradiated foods on the market in Canada?
- 6. Is the irradiation of these foods mandatory?
- 7. Can the irradiation of food cause harm to the consumer?
- 8. How is food irradiated?
- 9. What changes to food are caused by irradiation?
Food irradiation was first developed in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 1960s. Despite being one of the most studied food technologies, information on food irradiation has not been well communicated to the broader public, largely because of the complexity of the subject matter. The purpose of these questions and answers is to pr...
Food irradiation is a method of preserving food by using a type of radiation energy. It is one of several techniques that can be used by food producers to protect the quality of food before it reaches the grocery store. Other techniques include cooking or heating, canning, chemical treatments, and steam pasteurization. Food irradiation could also b...
Irradiation is used in food processing for several reasons:
•To prevent food poisoning: by reducing the level of harmful bacteria such as E.coli O157:H7, Salmonella and Campylobacter, and parasites which cause food borne diseases.
•To prevent spoilage: by reducing the microbial load on foods, meaning it destroys bacteria, molds and yeast which cause food to spoil, and controls insect and parasite infestation.
•To increase shelf life: by slowing the ripening or sprouting in fresh fruits and vegetables, thereby allowing for longer shelf life.
The amount of radiation energy used or needed for a particular application varies depending on the food and the reason for irradiating. Typically, to increase shelf life or to prevent spoilage a low dose of irradiation is required, only 1 kilogray (kGy) of absorbed energy. To prevent food poisoning, the dose will depend on the type of bacteria bein...
No, irradiated foods do not become radioactive. During irradiation the food never comes into contact with the radioactive source. In addition, the Food and Drug Regulations places upper limits on the energy levels that may be used for treatment of foods. No radioactive energy (waves) remain in the food after treatment.
To date, the following products have been examined by Health Canada and have been approved for irradiation: potatoes, onions, wheat, flour, whole wheat flour, whole and ground spices, and dehydrated seasoning preparations. Currently, the technology is not used widely on food commodities in Canada. So far, the main use of irradiation in Canada has b...
No. Regulations allow the irradiation of these foods at the discretion of food producers. It is not mandatory.
International bodies, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), recognize the irradiation process as one safe way of reducing levels of organisms that cause food borne illness and disease in food products. The use of food irradiation reduces the levels of these disease organis...
During the irradiation process, food is exposed to an ionizing energy source. Three different energy sources may be used: gamma rays, electron beams and x-rays. The length of time the food is exposed to the source and the energy level determine the dose of irradiation. The doses used for food irradiation do not result in the food becoming radioacti...
Irradiation causes minor chemical modifications, similar to cooking, and some irradiated foods may taste slightly different. Food irradiation does not lead to change in the food that, from a toxicological point of view, would have an adverse effect on human health. Food irradiation, at permitted levels, does not diminish the nutritional value of th...
Food irradiation is the treatment of food with a type of radiation energy known as ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation may be used for various reasons depending on the food: it may be used to kill microorganisms that can cause human illness or cause food to spoil; to control insect or parasite infestation; or to slow the ripening or sprouting of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Food irradiation is the treatment of food with a type of radiation energy known as ionizing radiation. Three different types of ionizing radiation can be used on foods sold in Canada; gamma rays, electron beam and x-rays. Ionizing radiation at the levels used for food irradiation contains enough energy to kill bacteria, molds, parasites and ...
Jun 28, 2017 · Irradiation pasteurizes food by using energy, just as milk is pasteurized using heat. At the level used, most harmful bacteria will be destroyed. Afterwards, surviving bacteria could start to multiply if the food were mishandled: such as, stored at an improper temperature. The level of irradiation used also does not kill certain spoilage ...
Food irradiation is sometimes referred to as "cold pasteurization" [36] or "electronic pasteurization" [37] because ionizing the food does not heat the food to high temperatures during the process, and the effect is similar to heat pasteurization. The term "cold pasteurization" is controversial because the term may be used to disguise the fact the food has been irradiated and pasteurization ...
People also ask
Does food irradiation use heat?
How does food irradiation work?
How does irradiation work?
Is food irradiation safe?
How much radiation does a food irradiate?
What ionizing radiation is used to irradiate food?
Given that processing does not involve heat, it is safe for food, does not significantly reduce nutrient levels, leaves no chemical residues, and is simple to control during use. According to Ehlermann [ 30 ], to effectively lengthen the lifespan of irradiated food products, the following principles must be observed: (1) Radurization uses low doses of 0.1–1 kGy.
