Irradiation of Food

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INTRODUCTION Food irradiation is a method of food preservation and sterilization that is undertaken at irradiation facilities. It is also the process of exposing food to ionizing radiation to destroy micro organisms, bacteria, viruses or insects that might be present in the food. Food irradiation, often referred to as “cold pasteurization”, is a technology that has been identified as safe in reducing the risk of foodborne illness as part of high quality food production, processing, handling and preparation. Food irradiation can: * Extend shelf life of food by destroying the microorganisms that cause spoilage. * Make food safe to eat by destroying parasites and microorganisms that cause trichinosis and salmonella poisoning. * Provide quarantine treatments for fruits and vegetables to ensure insect pests are not transported across borders. * Prolong the shelf life of foods by slowing the ripening process and inhibiting the sprouting of root vegetables like potatoes and onions. BODY A big advantage of irradiated food is that it is a cold process: the food is still essentially raw because it has not undergone any thermal process (process that utilizes heat). The food irradiated do not changed it is nutritional value and don’t become dangerous as a result of irradiation. In fact, the changes are so minimal to determine whether or not a food has been irradiated. Food irradiation can be an important tool in the war against illness and death from foodborne diseases . Also, irradiation is a process of ionizing energy that offers many benefits to consumers, retailers and food manufacturers because it contributed to improvements in both quality and quantity of the food supply. How it helps to improve is by informing them that the products they are selling in well tested. Irradiation damages food by breaking up molecules and creating free

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