ABSTRACT

Food irradiation is the process of treating food and food products with radiation. The process consists of exposing the food to some source of ionizing radiation for a sufficient time that is necessary for the desired effects to occur. Sources of radiation may include particle accelerators, essentially high-energy and high-dose X-ray machines, or radioiso­ topes, such as 60Co or 137Cs (1). In a typical food irradiation facility, the packaged food is transported via a conveyor belt into the shielded irradiation area. The packages are kept in proximity to the radiation source for a time governed by the effect desired. The conveyor belt then leads the irradiated food outside for further processing, storage, or shipment (2). (See the Chapter 18 on radioactivity in food and water for a discussion of radiation, its effects, and its measurement.) The same sources of radiation and techniques have been used for many years to sterilize medical supplies such as bandages, instruments, tubing, and implants (3). At least 39 nations (including Belgium, France, Hungary, the Nether­ lands, Argentina, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Norway, the United States, Yugoslavia, and Russia) have approved the process for at least some food prod­ ucts (1).