ABSTRACT
The development of ionizing radiation for controlling insect and bacterial contamination of foods has traveled a long and arduous pathway since its concept almost 100 years ago by German scientist H. Minsch. The DeLaney Clause of the 1958 Food Additive Amendment to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Law defines irradiation to be a "food additive" rather than a "food processing technique." The process of irradiating causes little temperature change in the food and is often referred to as "cold sterilization." Since many frozen seafoods are processed and frozen under conditions that do not ensure complete microbiological safety, pasteurization for irradiation is particularly important for sanitizing frozen block packs. A major step toward allowing the use of irradiation as a primary processing and preservation technique in the Food Industry was the report by the Institute of Food Technologists Expert Panel on Food Safety and Nutrition.
