Author
 |
THAYER, DONALD |
|
Submitted to: Encyclopedia of Agricultural, Food, and Biological Engineering
Publication Type: Review Article Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2003 Publication Date: 10/1/2003 Citation: THAYER, D.W. IONIZING IRRADIATION TREATMENTS OF FOOD. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AGRICULTURAL, FOOD, AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING. 2003. P. 536-539. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Food irradiation is the treatment of a food with radiant energy to obtain a beneficial effect. These effects may include (1) disinfestation of grains, fruits, and vegetables; (2) improvement of the shelf life of fruits and vegetables by inhibiting sprouting or by altering their rate of maturation and senescence; (3) improvement of shelf life of foods by the inactivation of spoilage organisms;and (4) improvement of the safety of foods by inactivating foodborne pathogens. The following forms of ionizing radiation are approved for use in the United States: the isotopic sources of gamma radiation cobalt-60 and cesium-137, accelerated electrons with energies of less than 10 MeV, and Bremsstrahlung (X-rays) with energies of less than 5 MeV. |
