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What is Food Irradiation?
Food is irradiated through radioactive substances, which usually are
cobalt-60 or cesium-137, high power electron beams accelerators or
X-rays. All three of these produce short-waved high energy beams. This
process is also known as cold-pasteurization. This method was
developed to control spoilage of food and improve safety. However,
transforming the food into a radioactive lunch is not possible due to
the length of time the food is exposed to the radioactive emitting
source. Food irradiation dates back 90 years ago, and since it has
become a controversial issue.
Food Borne Illnesses Prevented
Treating of raw meat with irradiation could possibly prevent the spread
of these common bacteria found on raw meat and poultry
E.Coli - produces a toxin which causes intestinal illness
Salmonella - causes food poisoning, gastrointestinal inflammation,
typhoid fever
Campylobacter causes food poisoning
Listeria bacteria that causes fever, muscle aches, and is spread
through the bloodstream, which can infect the heart or brain
Shigella causes food poisoning and fever
Effect on Government
40 countries have approved approximately 60 different foods that can be
irradiated, fruits, vegetables, spices, grains, seafood, meat and
poultry. Half a million tones of food is irradiated world wide annually.
The change is due to the some of the following reasons,
Estimated $5 to $17 billion dollars are saved in the US alone, as
irradiation prolongs the shelf life of food, food which is prone to
infestation and spoilage
About 7000 American deaths are due to food borne illnesses annually.
Diarrheal diseases and bacteria attack tens of millions of Americans
annually
Less dependence on chemical pesticides which environmentally harm our
ecosystem.
Nutritional Losses of Irradiated Food
There are no significant losses of macronutrients evident in irradiated
food. Fats, protein and carbohydrates do not considerably decrease even
in extremely high doses of radiation. Vital amino acids, necessary fatty
acids, minerals and elements undergo no significant loss. Vitamins
decrease but this is similar to microwaving, canning, and drying of
food.
World Wide Organization Approval
The World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, US Department of Agriculture, and Food and Drug
Administration approves of this method as well as 40 countries which
irradiate 60 different foods currently.
Conclusion
Astronauts of the NASA program eat irradiated sterilized food in space,
which NASA has provided them. Irradiated food was given to the elite of
America to eat, which symbolizes that America believes there is great
potential for this technology. Preventing many food borne bacteria and
diseases is important to America, as well as prolonging the shelf life
of foods to provide customer satisfaction.
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