How does irradiation affect foods?
The foods are not changed in nutritional value, and they are not made dangerous as a result of the irradiation. The high energy ray is absorbed as it passes through food, and gives up its energy. If the food still has living cells (such as seeds, or shellfish, or potatoes), they will be damaged or killed just as microbes are. This can be a useful effect. For example, it can be used to prolong the shelf life of potatoes by keeping them from sprouting. Irradiated foods need to be stored, handled, and cooked in the same way as unirradiated foods. They could still become contaminated with germs during processing after irradiation, if the rules of basic food safety are not followed. Because the irradiated foods have fewer microbes of all sorts, including those that cause spoilage, they may have a longer shelf life. Which foods can be irradiated?
The high-energy ray is absorbed as it passes through food; it gives up energy, thus slightly warming the food. The energy used in food irradiation is not great enough to cause food to become radioactive. During irradiation, energy passes through food much like a ray of light passes through a window. This energy destroys most of the bacteria that can cause disease, yet allows most foods to retain their quality. Generally, fruits, vegetables, poultry, pork and meats have little to no change in taste. Milk and some dairy products do develop off flavors after irradiation. If the food has living cells (seeds, shellfish or potatoes) they will be damaged or killed. This effect is used to prolong shelf life by keeping potatoes from sprouting. Other changes include reduced vitamin levels, especially thiamin. There has been extensive scientific literature published dealing with food irradiation and vitamins over the past 45 years.
The foods are not changed in nutritional value and they are not made dangerous as a result of the irradiation. The high energy ray is absorbed as it passes through food, and gives up its energy. The food is slightly warmed. Some treated foods may taste slightly different, just as pasteurized milk tastes slightly different from unpasteurized milk. If the food still has living cells, (such as seeds, or shellfish, or potatoes) they will be damaged or killed just as microbes are. This can be a useful effect. For example, it can be used to prolong the shelf life of potatoes by keeping them from sprouting. The energy can induce a few other changes. At levels approved for use on foods, levels of the vitamin thiamine are slightly reduced. This reduction is not enough to result in vitamin deficiency. There are no other significant changes in the amino acid, fatty acid, or vitamin content of food.
The nutritional value of irradiated foods is not changed in any significant way at the doses used. The nutritive values of the macronutrients in the diet (such as proteins, fats and carbohydrates) are not significantly altered by irradiation. Although the levels of certain vitamins may be reduced, the extent of the reduction depends upon the specific vitamin, the food type and conditions of irradiation. Levels of thiamine, for example, are slightly reduced, but the reduction is not enough to result in vitamin deficiency. Some foods may taste slightly different (just as pasteurized milk tastes slightly different from unpasteurized milk). If the food still has living cells, the cells will be damaged or destroyed just as the pathogens are. This effect can be useful in some cases and undesirable in others. 5. How much radiation is used to treat food?
The foods are not changed in nutritional value and they are not made dangerous as a result of the irradiation. The high energy ray is absorbed as it passes through food, and gives up its energy. The food is slightly warmed. Some treated foods may taste slightly different, just as pasteurized milk tastes slightly different from unpasteurized milk. If the food still has living cells, (such as seeds, or shellfish, or potatoes) they will be damaged or killed just as microbes are. This can be a useful effect. For example, it can be used to prolong the shelf life of potatoes by keeping them from sprouting. The energy can induce a few other changes. At levels approved for use on foods, levels of the vitamin thiamine are slightly reduced. This reduction is not enough to result in vitamin deficiency. There are no other significant changes in the amino acid, fatty acid, or vitamin content of food. In fact, the changes induced by irradiation are so minimal that it is not easy to determine whether
