Institute of Food Science & Engineering

TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES

TEXAS ENGINEERING EXPERIMENT STATION COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
TEXAS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Food Irradiation: Policies and

Possibilities for the Horticulture Industry
Sacramento, California
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Activists Target U.S. Crops Produced With Methyl Bromide

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Mon Nov 29,10:21 AM ET, Environment News Service (ENS)

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WASHINGTON, DC, November 24, 2004 (ENS) The Environmental

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Investigation Agency (EIA) launched a campaign Tuesday to convince

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supermarkets in the United States to stop selling food, such as

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tomatoes, strawberries and nuts, grown or treated with the chemical

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methyl bromide.
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Used as a pesticide and soil fumigant, methyl bromide is considered

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the most potent chemical still in widespread use that depletes the
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Earth's protective ozone layer.

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The international non-profit organization said it plans to investigate the

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supply chains for major supermarkets and campaign to have products

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produced with methyl bromide removed from shelves across the

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nation.
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 Questions we will attempt to answer.

Why A&M chose food irradiation technology?

What is ionizing energy (radiation)?

How does irradiation work?

What effect does irradiation have on food?

 Why did A&M choose irradiation?

Definitive impact on improving Food

Safety

Definitive impact as a countermeasure to

quarantine

Definitive impact of increasing shelf-life

 FDA Approval of FI in the U.S.
Legislation that authorizes the approval
process precludes approval in a risk-
benefit analysis.

To be approved, food irradiation must

meet the more stringent no detectable
adverse health consequences required of
food additives.
 Prevalence (%) of E. coli O157:H7 in
Raw, Ground Beef Products

8,000,000,000 lbs. annually

X .0032 (.32%) E. pos samples
25,600,000 lbs. E. pos ground beef in our food chain

Only about
12,000,000 lbs
have been
irradiated in 2004
Food Safety Inspection Service,
U.S. Department of Agriculture
 E. coli O157:H7 organisms remaining after
chemical & irradiation intervention
(initial cell pop. 25,000 cells/gram)

Technology Cells Remaining/4 oz serving

Irradiation < .03

(1.5 kGy)
Cetylpyridinium chloride 47

Lactic Acid 4,718

Acidified Sodium chlorite 47,187

Acetic acid 47,187

Peroxyacetic acid 235,937

Lactoferricin B 4,388,437

Based on Belk, et al. (2003) Food Trends, 4oz. serving = 189 grams
Vol. 23, No. 1, Pages 24-34
Shelf-life extension of Strawberries

1 kGy = extended shelf-life by 5 days

 Lets define the terms

Radiation (noun) is the energy!

Irradiation (verb) is exposure to the

energy!
 What is ionizing energy?
Near one end of the electromagnetic spectrum
are radio waves and microwaves

at the other end are more powerful, ionizing

lightwaves in the form of gamma rays, x-rays
and electron beams

ionizing waves can break chemical bonds in

living cells by knocking off electrons.
 Microwave vs Irradiation
When foods are exposed to the energy of
microwaves atoms become excited causing
them to bounce wildly about causing thermal
Radiation (heat).

When foods are exposed to the energy of

gamma rays, x-rays, or electron beams
ionization causes fracturing of molecular bonds.
NASA Scientist on how it works?
 Food Irradiation at NASA
Since 1972 NASA astronauts have consumed irradiated
beef, ham and poultry.

NASA irradiates food with up to 24 kGy to make it shelf-

stable without refrigeration.

The irradiation dose of commercial irradiated foods is

significantly less
--1.5 kGy to rid ground beef of E. coli
--0.225 kGy to rid papayas of Mediterranean fruit flies
 Radura Symbol

Irradiated for food safety.

Irradiated to protect American

agriculture from foreign pests.
 Does irradiated food become
radioactive?1
Irradiated food does not become radioactive.

At approved radiation levels only chemical

changes are possible.

Over 35 years of research suggests that the

chemical by-products of radiation (radiolytic
products) are generally the same as chemical
by-products of conventional cooking and other
preservation methods.
 Impact on Nutrients

FDA & USDA impact assessments have

validated that the relevant reduction of
the composition of essential nutrients in
irradiated food is negligible.
Not all fruits and vegetables tolerate irradiation in the
required dose range of .15-1.0 kGy
Relative tolerance of fresh fruit and vegetables to
irradiation doses below 1kGy Kader, 1986

Minimal Detrimental Inconsistent Results Significant

Effects Detrimental Effects

Apple Apricot Avocado

Cherry Banana Broccoli
Date Cherimoya Cauliflower
Guava Loquat Cucumber
Longan Fig Grape
Mango Grapefruit Green Bean
Muskmelon Kumquat Leafy Vegetable
Nectarine Lichi Lemon
Papaya Orange Lime
Peach Passion Fruit Olive
Rambutan Pear Pepper
Potatoe
Raspberry Pineapple Sapodilla
 Key Western U.S. Retailers of
Irradiated Produce
Kroger West and Southwest
Safeway West and Southwest
Albertsons Southwest
Stater Bros Southern California
SuperValue West
 On-line Symposium
Sponsor: Food Manufacturing Magazine
Event: Processing Technology Expo 2004

Title:
How much safer is irradiated meat and poultry?

Web Address:
http://pte04.unisfair.com/index.jsp