food irradiation

["Bradshaw, Keith" <Keith.Bradshaw@nnc.co.uk>]

> Re food irradiation:
> 
> Irradiation does produce radiolysis products in foods----------this means
> >free radicals of many types that do alter the food to an extent.
> 
> Yes, we're all clear on this point.  Irradiation, microwaving and cooking
> with oven or stove all change the chemical composition of the food to some
> extent.  Let's get past this point to the importane stuff.
> 
	Yes I'd like to.  Does anyone out there know about the analytical
tests that detect if food is irradiated?  I know I read about this a few
years ago, but of course I've now forgotten the details.  I'm sure it
involved measuring some long-lived free radicals.  The fact that food can be
detected as irradiated means it's qualitatively different to food preserved
by some other means.

	Can someone also tell us what happens to the cis-trans isomerism of
the unsaturated fats, and the amount of organic peroxides produced in
irradiation?

	<SNIP>
> Again, show me the documentation.  Until I see results from reputable
> double-blind studies that show notable differences in the tastes of
> irradiated and organic foods, it's all just talk.  <SNIP>
> 
	Well, if we really can't tell the difference between fresh and
irradiated food (and I suspect you're right-we can't), that's when we're
really in trouble.  Whilst they'll religiously label things at first, it's
inevitable that things will start to slip after a few years.  Then they'll
be selling us old food that looks like fresh food, and no-one will be able
to tell.  Why do you think they want this? It's to increase the shelf life
of foods of course. 

	If you wrap a potato in clear plastic, and put it in a warm
supermarket under bright lights, it will go green and start to sprout within
days.  If you keep it cool, in the dark, it will last for months.  It's just
unnecessary to go blasting it with gamma rays to achieve the same ends.

	There's a great deal of interest in the free-radical mopping-up
ability of various foods (prunes come out best!).  This is because, as we've
seen in other threads, our DNA is under constant attack from metabolically
induced free radicals, which seems to be the favourite ultimate cause of
aging at the moment.  Now if we expose foods to high doses of radiation,
free radicals are formed within the foods.  Admittedly the vast bulk of
these do not persist for more than a fleeting moment, BUT- are we not using
up the free-radical mopping up ability of the food?

	Personal thoughts only,


	keith.bradshaw@nnc.co.uk
















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