RE: Food irradiation---do seeds sprout? Did that denature the

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

Franz

I totally agree with your overall stance on food irradiation.
> . 
> 
> I am not at all opposed to food irradiation, but it should be used only
> when it makes sense and not at all to maximise profits by extending shelf
> life or improper food processing on industrial scale. 
> I do not want to comment the details of Jim Phelps, except the following: 
> 
> What is so bad about "dead" vegetables like potatoes or onions - are they
> not "killed" when you cut them, cook them, fry them? 
> 
	This is not really the important issue to me. In the UK, we are
being exhorted to eat five portions of fresh friut and veg a day.  If these
were irradiated, I don't think there's any argument that their nutritional
quality would be compromised.  Over the long run, guaranteed unirradiated
foods could become a specialist, expensive, item in the shops, much like
'organic' food now.  The *entire diet* of the bulk of the population would
then consist of preserved foods of one sort or another.  Precisely opposite
to current nutritional advice.


> Regarding the "dangerous breakdown products": What do you think happens
> when you put your beef into the pan? What happens when you expose potatoes
> to boiling water? What happens to the hamburger you grill on fire? Are you
> convinced that no by-products are formed by normal food preparation
> procedures? Hopefully not, because you would be totally wrong! Smoked meat
> is very well known to contain benzpyrenes, which are as well known to be
> very toxic and cancer causing agents - they occur also in tobacco smoke by
> the way.
> 
	I repeat my questions:

	I'm pretty sure there ARE long lived free radicals in irradiated
foods.  These can actually be measured by some analytical procedure to
detect irradiated food.  Anyone got any references on this?

	What happens to the cis-trans isomerism of unsaturated fatty acids?

	How much peroxidation of unsaturated fats takes place?

	Is the free-radical mopping up ability of the food 'used up' in
irradiation?

> You cannot exclude all risk in life and I tell you that I still cook my
> eggs (secretly because of the cholesterine) 
> 
	Some people are beginning to think that cholesterol deposition in
blood vessels is a natural defence that goes overboard.  The theory is that
they become damaged through a chronic lack of antioxidants in the diet and
then cholesterol is deposited.  The French eat tons of fat but have low
heart disease.  So perhaps you don't need to worry quite so much about
cholesterol if you drink plenty (unirradiated) red wine etc!

	Personal thoughts only


	keith.bradshaw@nnc.co.uk



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