Re[2]: FOOD IRRADIATION AND THE PRESERVATION OF VIT. C -Rep

[eh_carbaugh@ccmail.pnl.gov]

     The June 1992 issue of Nuclear News has an article by Bernard Cohen 
     "Irradiated Food:  Is There a Need?" which you might find useful.
     
     Studies mentioned by Cohen include prolongation of shelf life using 
     15,000 rads:  cherries-18 d, strawberries-7 d, papayas & mangoes-4, 
     prevention of sprouting in potatoes and onions; preservation without 
     refrigeration: clams-12 d, crab-40 d, shrimp-30 d, fish-90 d.
     
     Also cited by Cohen:  FDA approval of 1 million rad for dried spices 
     (1983, increased to 3 million rad in '86); '85 FDA approval of 1 
     million rad for dry enzymes, 100,000 (100 krad) for pork and ('86 
     approval) for all fresh food for insect disinfestation.  Cohen also 
     noted, "The FDA is not willing to approve doses to ordinary foods 
     above 100,000 rad unless there are extensive animal feeding tests on 
     that particular food with favorable results.  This was done for 
     poultry, leading to FDA approval of doses up to 300,000rad in 1990."
     
     I also have some handwritten notes from a 1992 Health Physics Society 
     Annual Meeting presentation by George Giddings (independent consultant 
     for food irradiation industry) in which I noted that irradiation must 
     be performed with food in a frozen state; that if it not frozen there 
     would be serious degradations of flavor; and that typically food is 
     prefrozen and irradiated under dry-ice conditions.
     
        gene carbaugh
        eh_carbaugh@pnl.gov


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: FOOD IRRADIATION  AND THE PRESERVATION OF VIT. C -Reply
Author:  dale@radpro.uchicago.edu at -SMTPlink
Date:    11/6/95 11:49 AM


Does anyone have the actual doses used for say strawberries, spices, etc.? 
The numbers mentioned so far 10krad to x Mrad make a difference.  At
10 krad we might be able to help.  At 1 Mrad it would put a significant 
time load on the biggest irradiator here.
     
Dale