Combination processes in food irradiation

Abstract

Irradiation is emerging as a potential method of food preservation. It is being used to extend the shelf life of raw and processed foods in many countries worldwide. Like all other methods of food preservation, irradiation has a number of limitations. Irradiation, when used alone, can cause the development of undesirable sensory and chemical changes in some foods, depending on the absorbed dose and the conditions of irradiation. One way to prevent these changes is to use irradiation in combination with other methods of food preservation, such as heating, cryogenic temperature and modified-atmosphere or vacuum packaging. These associated processes can make the total food process more labour intensive and time-consuming, resulting in the increased cost of treated products. However, the decreased cost of irradiating at lowered absorbed doses may offset the additional costs of any other process used, depending upon the cost of that process relative to the cost of irradiation. The use of combination processes has been found to inhibit the development of undesirable sensory changes and some chemical changes in foods, making food irradiation a more useful method of food preservation.