ABSTRACT
A prerequisite to appreciating all the issues involved in the food irradiation debate is an understanding of the technology and its history. The electromagnetic spectrum is the full range of frequencies or wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation. This is most commonly pictured as a ruler along which the range of frequencies is spread. In reality, most of the work was directed at trying to reveal the physical structure of atoms. In order to grasp how radioactivity is formed, it is essential to visualize what atoms are like. Foods are made up of four basic materials: water, carbohydrate, lipid, and protein. There are also other constituents such as vitamins, minerals and various minor or trace elements. Food irradiation, like all other processes, affects these materials by causing changes through ionization. One of the best reviews made of the early history of food irradiation was written by E. S. Josephson in the Journal of Food Safety in 1983.
