Irradiation Preservation of Foods

Irradiation:Food irradiation is the process of exposing food and

food packaging to ionizing radiation, such as from gamma (γ)
rays, x-rays, or electron beams.

Process of exposing food to control levels of Ionizing radiation

 To kill harmful bacteria, pests, to preserve its freshness.

 The process of food irradiation is often called

Cold Pasteurization , because it kills harmful

bacteria without heating.

Ionizing radiation, including nuclear radiation, consists of

subatomic particles or electromagnetic waves that have
sufficient energy to ionize atoms or molecules by detaching
electrons from them.
Ionizing- energy that acts by removing electrons from atoms
and molecules of materials.
 Irradiation
 How Is Food Irradiated?
 The following sources of radiation are approved
for use on foods.
• Gamma (γ) rays are emitted from radioactive
forms of the element cobalt (Cobalt 60) or of the
element cesium (Cesium 137).
• Gamma radiation is used to sterilize medical,
dental, and household products and is also used
for the radiation treatment of cancer.

• Gamma rays can pass completely through the

human body; as they pass through, they can
cause ionizations that damage tissue and DNA.
 Irradiation
• X-rays are produced by reflecting a high-energy
stream of electrons off a target substance (usually
one of the heavy metals) into food.

• Unlike light, however, x-rays have higher energy and

can pass through most objects, including the body.

X-rays are also widely used

in medicine and industry
to produce images of
internal structures.
 Irradiation
In foods that have a high moisture content, water is ionised by
radiation.
Electrons are expelled from water molecules and break the
chemical bonds.
The products then recombine to form hydrogen radicals :
 hydrogen peroxide radicals, (H2O2

 hydroxyl radicals (OH) and

 hydroperoxyl radicals (HO2).
 The radicals are extremely short lived (less than 10-5 s) but are
sufficient to destroy bacterial cells.

 It is permitted not in all countries to preserve foods

by destruction of micro-organisms or inhibition of
biochemical changes
 Irradiation
Equipment
Irradiation equipment consists of a high-energy isotope
source to produce γ -rays or, less commonly, a machine
source to produce a high-energy electron beam γ-
radiation from cobalt-60 or cesium-137 is used in most
commercial plants.

 Irradiation Equipment
( concrete shieling wall)

Fig. Isotope Irradiation Plant, 1. Irradiation chamber, 2. Control room,

3.Infeed conveyor 4. Out let conveyor, 5. Raw food store, 6. Irradiated
product store, 7. Concrete shieling wall

Isotope: same element that contain equal numbers of protons but different
numbers of neutrons in their nuclei
 Irradiation
The main advantages of Irradiation are as follows:

 There is little or no heating of the food

 Packaged and frozen foods may be treated

 Fresh foods may be preserved without the use of

chemical preservatives
 Energy requirements are very low

 Changes in nutritional value of foods are less

comparable with other methods of food

preservation
 Processing is automatically controlled and has low

operating costs.
 Irradiation
A major disadvantage is :
 The high capital cost of irradiation plant
 A health hazard if toxin-producing bacteria are destroyed

after they have contaminated the food with toxins.

 The possible development of resistance to radiation in

micro-organisms.

 Loss of nutritional value.

 Public resistance due to fear of induce radio activity.????

,
Irradiation Cont..

The gray (symbol Gy) is a derived unit of ionizing radiation

dose in the International System of Units (SI). One gray (Gy)
equal to an absorbed dose of
1 Joule/kilogram
 or

 It is defined as the absorption of one joule of radiation

energy per kilogram of matter
 Gy =nuclear physics gray
 Gray(Gy) is unit of radiation dose

 ( absorption 1j/kg)

Application of Food Radiation
Irradiation Cont..
Irradiation Cont..
Irradiation Cont..
Radiation Processing Facilities
(UV-sterlization Autoclave)
MRI used in Clinics and Hospitals
Sterilizers
 Irradiation
 Effect on micro-organisms


The reactive ions produced by irradiating foods

injure or destroy micro-organisms immediately, by
changing the structure of cell membranes and
affecting metabolic enzyme activity.

 However, a more important effect is on

deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and
ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules in cell nuclei, which
are required for growth and replication
 Irradiation

 Control of ripening ( doses of 2–3 kGy.)



Disinfestation (below 1kGy,)

 Inhibition of sprouting (doses about 150 Gy)

 Induced radioactivity ????

 Irradiation
 Applications


The radiation dose administered to a food depends

on the resistance of the organisms
present and the objective of the treatment.

 The maximum recommended dose for foods is 15

kGy, with the average dose not exceeding 10 kGy
(World Health Organization)

 The types of irradiation process can be categorized

by the intention of processing and the dose used.
Effect of irradiation on water-soluble vitamins in selected foods
 Pulsed Electric Fields in Food Preservation

There are many different ways of applying electric

energy for food pasteurization.

These include:
Ohmic Heating,
Microwave Heating
Low Electric Field Stimulation
High-voltage arc discharge and
High-intensity pulsed electric field (PEF) application

Ohmic Heating is one of the earliest forms of electricity

applied to food pasteurization
 Pulsed Electric Fields Cont..
This method relies on the heat generated in
food products (liquid) when an electric current is
passed through them.

The ohmic heating method used in milk

pasteurization.
A 220V, 15kW alternating current supply was
applied to milk through carbon electrodes in an
electrical heating chamber.
The milk was heated to and held at 70°C for
about 15 s.
Pulsed Electric Fields Cont..
Microwave Heating
Many food materials possess very low values of static
conductivity.
Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with
wavelengths ranging from about one meter to one
millimetre corresponding to frequencies between 300
MHz and 300 GHz respectively.

The heat generated by microwaves is used for heating

processes.
Studies on microbial inactivation
using microwave energy have
concluded that microbial
death is caused solely by
thermal mechanisms
Pulsed Electric Fields Cont..
Low Electric Field :In electrical stimulation of meat,
with electric field of 5–10 V/cm is applied as
alternating current pulses to the sample through
electrodes fixed at opposite ends of the long axis of
the muscle .

Inactivation of microorganisms and enzymes contained

in food products by electric discharge began.
in the 1920s with the Electro pure process for milk
which consisted of passing an electric current
through carbon electrodes and heating milk to 70°C to
inactivate the microorganisms
Pulsed Electric Fields Cont..
Engineering Aspects of Pulsed Electric Field (PEFs)
The concept of pulsed power is simple:
Electric energy at low power levels is collected over
an extended period and stored in a capacitor.

That same energy can then be discharged almost

instantaneously at very high levels of power.

The generation of PEFs requires two major devices:

a pulsed power supply and a treatment chamber,
which converts the pulsed voltage into PEFs
Pulsed Electric Fields Cont..

Major components of commercial electro porator

.
HV a voltage conversion circuit that boosts a low input voltage to a higher
voltage for output
The application of PEF as a food processing tool is gaining
popularity,

since it represents a non-thermal alternative to conventional

pasteurization and sterilization methods.

The PEF approach, which does not involve the use of added
preservatives, is expected to be more appealing to consumers
who are sceptical about the use of chemicals in foods.

Raw and reconstituted apple juice, peach juice, skim milk,

beaten eggs, and pea soup exposed to PEFs of 25–45 kV/cm
were treated using the chamber.
High-Pressure Treatment in Food Preservation

Foods with high quality and more fresh-like

attributes are in demand.
Less extreme treatments or fewer additives are
required
Modern consumer demands:
less heat and chill damage;
more freshness;
less acid, salt, sugar, and fat.
Hydrostatic Pressure Treatment of Food
High-pressure technology was originally used
in the production of ceramics, steels, and
super alloys.
One “new” or emerging technology receiving a
great deal of attention is high hydrostatic
pressure for food preservation.

High pressure presents unique advantages over

conventional thermal treatments including
application at low temperatures, which
improves the retention of food quality .
Deepest point in the ocean pressure= 100MPa
Center of the earth =360 GPa
Normal atmospheric pressure at sea level is about
101,000 Pa; namely 101 kPa (kilo Pascals

In commercial applications, the highest pressure

used is around 5–6 Gpa, which is applied for
diamond grit production .
Low-density polyethylene is synthesized at
a pressure of 200 MPa and at T. of 350°C.
The food product is compressed by uniform
pressure from every direction and then returns to its
original shape when the pressure is released
,
The principle of isostatic processing. In High Pressure Processing of
Foods
Direct compression is generated by pressurizing
a medium with the small diameter end of a piston
The large diameter end of the piston is driven by
a low-pressure pump.
This method allows
very fast compression.
Applications of Magnetic Field in Food Preservation
Various thermal processes such as blanching,
pasteurization, and sterilization have been used
for enzyme and microbial inactivation as efficient,
economic, reliable, and safe food preservation
Techniques.
Application of heat, however, has some limitations
because of its adverse effect on product quality.
Thermal energy induces various biochemical
reactions, leading to quality deterioration in foods
that results in undesirable changes in nutritional and
sensory characteristics .
It is, therefore, those emerging and novel
technologies, which can overcome the limitations of
thermal processing, that draw attention
of food processors as well as consumers.
Applications of Magnetic Field Cnt..
The main objective of the application of Magnet Fields to
microorganisms is:
to reduce the content of species that are pathogenic or
that deteriorate foods and to stimulate the growth of
beneficial strains to produce fermented foods.;

Propagation of Yeast
Sterilization by Magnetic Fields

In future research area:

There is a growing consumers’ need for minimally
processed foods, and therefore food processing sectors
are keenly looking for newer development involving mild
processing technologies.
Current flowing through a wire produces a
magnetic field (M) around the wire

The closer the distance, the stronger the field is found to be. The
number of lines per square centimetre measures the strength of
the magnetic field.