Food Irradiation Reduces Spoilage, And It Also Extends Their Shelf Life Of Products Without Affecting Their Flavor Or Nutritional Value

 

Food Irradiation

Food irradiation is the physical treatment of food with high-energy ionizing radiation. Also known as cold pasteurizing, this process kills food-borne germs such as E.coli and salmonella, controls molds on fruit and vegetables and extends their shelf life without affecting nutritional or flavor characteristics. It is approved for use by 40 countries worldwide and endorsed as safe by the World Health Organization.

The CDC works to protect the public from food-borne illnesses. As new strains of harmful bacteria or altered forms of existing bacteria are constantly emerging, it is important that scientists continue to find ways to prevent them from contaminating our food. Food irradiation is one way that scientists can do this.

Global food irradiation market was valued at US$ 199.4 Billion in 2021 in terms of revenue, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.0% during the forecast period (2022 to 2030).

Irradiation is used to treat foods after they are produced and packaged. The foods enter a specialized chamber where they are exposed to ionizing radiation, which penetrates and kills or stops germs from multiplying. Unlike other common food safety processes, such as canning or heat pasteurization, the irradiation process does not leave any residual radiation in the food.

Irradiation is the most thoroughly researched food technology in history. It is approved to kill dangerous germs and prolong the shelf life of a wide variety of fresh produce, meats, spices and dry foods.

Food Irradiation is also an effective tool to control mold on fruits and vegetables, eliminate pests on crops such as spinach or iceberg lettuce, and to stop sprouting and germination in seeds, spices and grains.

While irradiation does not change the chemical structure of a food, it can cause some changes in its appearance and texture. It can also result in a slight reduction of the level of certain B-group vitamins in some foods. This is similar to the losses caused by cooking, canning or other forms of preservation.

Currently, irradiated foods must be clearly labelled in the United States and Canada. In the case of multi-ingredient products such as spice mixes or packaged foods, this must be stated in the ingredients list. In Australia and New Zealand, Food Irradiation must be labelled with a statement that the food or any of its ingredients have been treated with ionizing radiation. Irradiation is not used on any foods sold as organic.

Scantech Sciences introduced their new Cesium-137 irradiator in 2021. This will be a more affordable and effective option for food irradiation.