2-Dodecylcyclobutanone as an irradiation dose indicator to identify and estimate original dose in irradiated ground beef

Abstract

2-Dodecylcyclobutanone (2-DCB), as a chemical marker of irradiated lipid-containing foods, was used to detect whether ground beef patties were irradiated and to estimate the original absorbed dose. The ground beef patties (70/30) were irradiated at five targeted absorbed doses of 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0, and 7.0 kGy and stored for 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days, respectively at 4 °C. A rapid analytical method based on direct solvent extraction (DSE)/gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was developed to analyze 2-DCB in γ-ray irradiated ground beef patties. The samples were extracted with acetonitrile via DSE using a tissue-mashing instrument, and then purified with a 1-g silica cartridge and analyzed via GC–MS. The results indicate a linear relationship between irradiation dose and the amount of 2-DCB produced in the irradiated samples (y = 0.0608x–0.0004, R² = 0.9899). In addition, a linear relationship was observed between the loss (%) of 2-DCB and storage time (L = 1.958d–1.6596, R² = 0.9597). Thus, a method for estimating the initial dose of irradiated food was developed based on these two line equations; this method explored the establishment of a determination model of the original irradiation dose of lipid-containing foods. The method was used to successfully estimate 2–7 kGy irradiated beef samples within 28 days with minimal deviation within ±15 %.