IRRADIATION

Presented by:
Maggie Capron
Tiffany Craig
Dawn Dailidenas

SPINACH
What does irradiation of food look like? VIDEO

Fact of Fiction?
True or False:

The spinach you just ate was treated with

irradiation for your safety.

FALSE

Definition
Irradiation = the application of ionizing radiation to food to reduce and/or
eliminate microorganisms and insects from foods to improve safety and to
extend the shelf life of food.
According to Norton(3) irradiation of food has been studied more than any
other food process.

IR FAQ
3 types of irradiation (17).
o
o
o

1 Gray (Gy) = 1J of energy absorbed by 1 kg of substance

low (1 kGy) - kills insects/larvae and parasites, slows ripening, inhibits growth of sprouts
potatoes, wheat, flour, fruits, vegetables
med (1-10 kGy) - reduces/eliminates pathogenic and non-pathogenic microbes and
parasites
fresh/frozen fish, raw/frozen poultry and meat, strawberries, grape, dehydrated
vegetables
high (10-50 kGy) - sterilization/bacteria free food, eliminates some disease causing
viruses, decontaminants some food additives/ingredients
meat, poultry, and seafood for hospital diets, spices, enzyme preparations, natural
gum

History
1895: Scientist Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity(3)
1905: U.S and UK issued patents to use ionizing radiation to kill bacteria in foods(2)

Pioneer material used was radium - not yet commercially available(3)

1947: Researcher found that meat and other foods could be sterilized by high energy(2)

Motivation was to use on Military food for troops in the field

1950s (early): United States Atomic Energy Commission (USAEC) and U.S. Army began experimented with IR process on fruits,
vegetables, dairy products, fish and meats to establish safety and effectiveness(2)
1958: Food Additives Amendment to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act - Congress appoints FDA IR authority (2)

Based on testing for toxicological and microbiological evaluation and testing for wholesomeness - approved IR for wheat,
potatoes, pork, spices, poultry, fruits, vegetables and red meat.
1963: FDA grants first clearance to use irradiation process wheat and wheat products(3)
1964 - 1980: United Nations (UN) recognized food irradiation and established the Joint Expert Committee on Food Irradiation(2)

irradiation of foods up to the dose of 10 kiloGrays introduces no special nutritional or microbiological problems. Wholesomeness of Irradiated Foods

Based on animal feeding studies(3)

1986: FDA expands use of irradiation in the U.S. food supply(2)

American astronauts consume irradiated foods in space (beef, pork, smoked turkey, corned beef)
1999: WHO determined irradiation should be considered a synonymous process to cooking in all aspects of safety and palatability
is the only limitation for using very high doses of radiation(2)

Fact or Fiction?
True or False:

After being treated with irradiation,

food retains some radioactive properties.

FALSE

Yes! Irradiate my Food!

Benefits of Food Irradiation:

Increase public safety when it comes to the food supply (9)

o CDC estimates that 3,000 people die each year from foodborne illness
o In the past five years:
E. coli: 15 outbreaks, 3 were in ready-to-eat-salad products
Salmonella: 28 outbreaks - 4 were in 2014
Cyclospora: 2 outbreaks in past 2 years

Safeguards foods from overseas that do not have same safety standards as the US. (17)
Beneficial for removal of antinutritional factors and inhibition of food allergies (17)
Food irradiation will not completely remove foodborne illnesses from our food supply but it is
another measure that we can take to ensure the safety of our food

Benefits

Food preservation
o Could prove to be cost saving with less food waste
o Kills microbes and bacteria which allows for an extended shelf life

Ripening process is halted: fruit can be picked when it is fully ripe

o Tastes better - no more green fruit!

Kills harmful bacteria but does not alter the way food tastes
o Sometimes referred to as cold-pasteurization

Blueberry Study
A study in China investigated the impact of electron beam on E. coli
contaminated blueberries (5).
Results:
o Showed electron beam radiation (3kGy) successfully killed a resistant
strain of E. coli - E. coli K12
o Did not impact appearance
o Improved shelf life of blueberries
o Did not impact antioxidant level of blueberries
o Biggest impact on antioxidant level of blueberries was time and
temperature

Fact or Fiction?
True or False:

Irradiation destroys ALL bacteria.

FALSE

Veto! No Irradiation Please!

Potential Outcomes of Irradiation of Food:
Food Itself
o Changes in nutrient value
o Changes in texture
o Lipid peroxidation
o Radiolytic chemicals
Food Safety
o Not a replacement for proper handling
o Virus and bacteria
Environmental Impact
Higher Cost

Quality Concerns
Decrease in micronutrients (5,6,7)
The level of vitamins lost is comparable to losses from cooking and
processing.
Taste and Texture
Change in taste and texture of dairy, peaches, nectarines, grapes, etc (4)
Rancidity in high fat foods, such as peanut butter (4)
Concern: Could losing vitamins from irradiation and then again with cooking or
processing lead to deficiency?

Vitamin Depletion
Vitamin content comparison 2.2 pounds (1 kg) of cooked chicken (7)

Vitamin

Non-irradiated Sample

Irradiated Sample

Change

Vitamin A (IU)

2200

2450

+250

Vitamin E (mg)

3.3

2.15

-1.15

Thiamin (mg)

0.58

0.42

-0.16

Riboflavin (mg)

2.10

2.25

+0.15

Niacin (mg)

58.0

55.5

-2.5

Vitamin B6(mg)

1.22

1.35

+0.13

Vitamin B12 (mg)

21

28

+7

Pantothenic Acid (mg)

13

17

+4

0.23

0.18

-0.05

Folacin (mg)

Meatball Study and Undesirable

Molecules
Changes in Some Physicochemical Properties and Fatty Acid Composition of Irradiated Meatballs
During Storage. (16)
Increased oxidation of lipids through the formation of free radicals
Decreased poly/monounsaturated fats
Increased saturated fats
Other Molecules
Irradiation produces radiolytic chemicals (8), (15)
Rancidity occurs in high fat foods
o Peanut butter
Concern: Irradiation of food has a negative impact on foods fat profile along with causing oxidation
and rancidity. It also creates new radiolytic chemicals.

Continued Risk
Food Irradiation only kills 99.9% of dangerous bacteria.
Processing can be overwhelmed by too much bacteria, or nullified by
improper food handling
Outbreaks may not be fully prevented
Botulism, Hepatitis A, and Norovirus are not impacted by IR

Concern: Even with food irradiation the food supply is not completely protected,
and misconceptions may lead to poorer food hygiene at farms and at home.

Cost
Monetary

8 billion lbs of hamburger eaten a year

o

1-2% irradiated (10,11)

100% irradiation requires building more 3-5 million dollar plants (11,12)
o

Additional 3-10 cents per pound (10)

Environmental

Increased number of irradiation plants = increased transport of radioactive material(14)

Increased irradiation means increased distances food must travel.

Concern: Food irradiation increases food price which is an important consideration in a society where
14.5% of families experienced food insecurity in 2012. (13)

Fact or Fiction?
True or False:

Irradiation can make spoiled food edible again.

FALSE

Present
Foods approved by FDA

Not prevalent in the food supply today

o Major exception is for spices in foods and spice mixtures
Primary users are Astronauts and Military
Some countries consider IR food superior to non-irradiated foods

Meta-Analysis
Evaluated:
Food safety enhancement
Shelf-life extension
Insect disinfestations
Other applications (environmental, reduction of undesirable/toxic food
substances - like phytic acid, carcinogenic agents, trypsin inhibitors.. - use
on fermented and dehydrated foods)
Analysts concluded that food irradiation is a safe and less invasive technology
for meeting food safety standards. Added benefit of IR is extending shelf-life
and no chemical residue on food and does not drastically change taste or
nutritional content of food.

Labeling
Current labeling standards require all irradiated foods to show the Radura
symbol and include the words treated with irradiation
The exception to this rule is that foods with multiple ingredients, such as
spices, do not require this labeling

Conclusion
Pro:

Irradiation is a safe and efficacious method that can optimize food safety on a
mass scale. Evidence collected after almost a century concludes that food
irradiation is a safe, beneficial and practical process(3).It is a way to extend the
shelf life of many products that might otherwise be wasted. With minimal
nutrient loss it is comparable to other food preservation methods that are
currently in practice.

Conclusion
Con:
Enforcing our current system would be a cheaper, safer, and more sustainable way to keep pathogens
out of our food supply.
Food irradiation is an unnecessary sanitation method that encourages poor food handling, increases
the cost of food for consumers, depletes nutrients, and comprises food quality, all while putting the
environment at risk . The money spent on food irradiation would be better spent on enforcing the food
safety laws already in place.

Conclusion
What would you vote for?

We believe the process of irradiation is safe. However a

diet of fully irradiated foods could possibly have negative
impacts that have not yet been shown in research, such as
nutrient depletion.

Resources
1. A Backgrounder on Food Irradiation Facilities. Public Citizen Web Site. http://www.citizen.org/cmep/article_redirect.cfm?ID=10421. Accessed October 16, 2014.
2. History of Food Irradiation. University of California, Davis Web Site. Available at: http://ccr.ucdavis.edu/irr/history_new.shtml. Accessed October 16, 2014.
3. The History of Food Irradiation. Nordion Science Advancing Health Web Site. Available at: http://www.nordion.com/documents/The-History-of-Food-Irradiation. Accessed
October 16, 2014.
4. Radiation Information Networks, Food Irradiation, Idaho State University Web Site. Available at: http://www.physics.isu.edu/radinf/food.htm. Accessed October 21, 2014
5.Kong Q, Wu A, Qi W, et al. Effects of electron-beam irradiation on blueberries inoculated with Escherichia coli and their nutritional quality and shelf life. Postharvest Biology
and Technology .2014;95:28-35
6. Thomas MH, Atwood BM, Wierbicki E, Taub IA. Effect of Radiation and Conventional Processing on the Thiamin Content of Pork. Journal of Food Science. 1981;3:824-828.
7. Josephson ES, Thomas MH, Calhoun WK. Nutritional Aspects of Food Irradiation: An Overview. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation 1978;2:299-313.
8.The Dangers of Food Irradiation. Rense.com. Available at: http://www.rense.com/general81/foodr.htm. Accessed October 21, 2014.
9.Centers For Disease Control and Prevention Web Site. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/. Accessed October 21, 2014.
10. Palmer S. Irradiation: What IT Is, What It Does, and How It Affects the Food Supply. Todays Dietitian. 2009;11:32.
11.Irradiation: Expensive, Ineffective, and Impractical. Food and Water Watch Website. Available at: http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/food/irradiation/irradiation-facts/.
Accessed October 21, 2014.
12.The Food Irradiation Process. University of Wisconsin Website. Available at: http://uw-food-irradiation.engr.wisc.edu/Process.html. Accessed October 21, 2014.
13.Hunger in the United States. Hunger Notes Website. Available at: http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/Learn/us_hunger_facts.htm. Accessed October 21, 2014.
14.Faculty Safety and Environmental Impact. EPA Website. Sapkota B, Gupta GK, Mainali D. Impact of intervention on healthcare waste management practices in a tertiary care
governmental hospital of Nepal. BMC Public Health. 2014;14(1):1005.
15.Martin A. Spinach and Peanuts, with a Dash of Radiation.New York Times. February 1, 2009
16.Gecgel U. Changes in some physicochemical properties and fatty acid composition of irradiated meatballs during storage. Journal of Food Science Technology.
2013;50(3):505-13.
17. Shah MA, Mir SA, Pala SA. Enhancing Food Safety and Stability Through Irradiation: A Review. Journal of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Food Science. 2014;3(5)371-378.
18. Radiation Protection. EPA Website. Available at: http://www.epa.gov/radiation/sources/food_irrad.html . Accessed October 21, 2014.
19. USDA Irradiation Facts page. Avaiable at: http://ars.usda.gov/is/pr/1997/971210.htm. Accessed on October 21, 2014
20. Food Irradiation: What you need to know. FDA website. Available at: http://www.fda.gov/food/ingredientspackaginglabeling/irradiatedfoodpackaging/ucm261680.htm.
Accessed on October 21, 2014.
21. Farkas J, Mohacsi-Farkas C. History and Future of Food Irradiation. Tends in Food Science & Technology. 2011; 22:121-126.