Re: Food Irradiation

["DAVE GILMORE" <DGILMORE@navajo.astate.edu>]

     Dan Harlan writes:
     I would like to expand on this question:
     What dose would be required to destroy E. coli in beef?  What type of 
     irradiation would you use: Co-60?  What would be a practical activity 
     and irradiation time to kill E. coli in a meat production facility?
     What changes could you expect in the beaf after processing: taste, 
     nutritional value, appearance, storage requirements...

Not surprisingly, as a microbiologist (and from Arkansas yet), I'm 
feeling a real need to learn more about the practical aspects of meat 
irradiation.  I encourage anyone with knowledge to post on this 
topic, and I'd be curious to know if there is any kind of recent literature 
available on this  topic.  The first two questions above got 
answered, but I'd also like to see comments on the rest of Dan's 
questions.
David F. Gilmore
Assistant Professor of Environmental Biology    0  0 
P.O. Box 599, Dept. of Biological Sciences       __    "have a day" 
Arkansas State University 
State University, AR 72467
dgilmore@navajo.astate.edu
ph  501-972-3082    fax 501-972-2638