ABSTRACT
Emerging largely from a program on peaceful uses of atomic energy, a process was developed to preserve foods by ionizing radiation. Foods so processed are referred to as “irradiated foods.” The effect of radiation on fats is similar to that of autoxidation with hydroperoxides among the initial products formed during irradiation. Thiamin is destroyed in meat at room temperature when it is irradiated to the same extent as it is during heat sterilization. Measurements on nutrient content have also been made on standard wheat mixtures used for baking that were irradiated with a Cobalt gamma irradiation source at 75,000 rad and then stored. Estrogens apparently decrease the need for vitamin K, since male rats fed an irradiated beef diet and not practicing coprophagy are quite susceptible to vitamin K deficiency and thus hemorrhagic diathesis. Irradiated triolein and trilinolein were hydrolyzed by lipase at about 90% the rate of that of control or nonirradiated triglycerides.
