EFFECT OF IRRADIATION ON FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY

Abstract

Numerous processing techniques have been developed to control food spoilage and raise food safety. The traditional methods of preservation include: pasteurization, canning, freezing, refrigeration and use of chemical preservatives. Food irradiation is non-thermal food preservation process. It is a treatment of food exposition on an amount of energy in the form of speed particles or rays. Depending on absorbed radiation dose, various effects can be achieved, resulting in reduced storage losses, extended shelf life, improved microbiological and parasitological safety of foods. The potential application of ionizing radiation in food processing is based mainly on the fact that ionizing radiations damage very effectively the DNA molecules. The application is very diverse, from inhibition of sprouting of tubers and bulbs, to production of commercially sterile food products. At the same time, irradiation-induced chemical changes in food are minimal. Irradiation does not cause any significant loss of macronutrients. Proteins, fats and carbohydrates undergo minimal modifications in nutritional value, which are less significant compared with traditional methods of food preservation. Irradiation offers a potential to enhance microbiological safety and quality of food through extension of its shelf life. The aim of this review paper is to give an overview of the effects of ionizing radiation on microbial contaminants and nutritional characteristics of food. In the paper, the basic concepts of food irradiation, mode of action on microbes and the effects of ionizing radiation on nutritional quality of irradiated food are summarized.