ABSTRACT
Some research scientists concerned with food irradiation have long been interested in the effect on materials used for packaging irradiated food. Since, during the processing operation, ionizing radiation must pass through the packaging material as it travels to the food inside the container, a number of key questions are raised. The extent to which a package renders protection to a food, however processed, is determined by its ability to act as a strong barrier between the external environment and the internal environment. The container for irradiation-processed foods differs from dehydrated, frozen, or retort food containers in that the physical and chemical properties of materials that are used as components of the containers for the foods are improved in some instances as a result of the irradiation process. Extractives and identification data showed that migration of adhesive as a component of the multilayered pouch systems did not occur under the conditions used to simulate the irradiation processing and storage conditions.
