Food Preservation and Storage

Food Preservation Storage

Lesson 13: Food irradiation

Applications of Radiation Processing in Food

From a practical point of view, there are three general application and dose categories that are referred to when foods are treated with ionizing radiation.

Applications of radiation processing in food

Dose level	Dose	Applications in food
Low dose	Up to 1 kGy	Sprout inhibition in bulbs and tubers	0.03 - 0.15 kGy
		Delay of fruit ripening	0.25 - 0.75 kGy
		Insect disinfestation including quarantine treatment and elimination of food borne parasites	0.25 - 1 kGy
Medium dose	1-10 kGy	Reduction of spoilage microbes to improve shelf-life of meat, poultry and seafoods under refrigeration	1.5 - 3 kGy
		Elimination of pathogenic microbes in fresh and frozen meat, poultry and seafoods	3 - 7 kGy
		Reducing number of microorganisms in spices to improve hygienic quality	10 kGy
High dose	Above 10 kGy	Sterilization of packaged meat, poultry and their products which are shelf-stable without refrigeration	25 - 70 kGy
		Sterilization of hospital diets	25 - 70 kGy

Source: http://www.barc.ernet.in/bmg/ftd/index.html and FSSA regulations (2011)