Food Irradiation and Other Sanitation Procedures

Abstract

Radiation pasteurization of food can be used as a terminal intervention step in HACCP programs to protect the public from foodborne pathogens that may be very difficult to control by any other method. The appropriate radiation doses and the effects of environmental factors such as temperature, atmosphere, and water activity required to control the following foodborne pathogens have been determined. Bacillus cereus, Campylobacter jejuni, Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium perfringens, Cyclospora cayetanensis, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Toxoplasma gondii, Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Yersinia enterocolitica are typical of the foodborne microorganisms that can be inactivated by food irradiation. The endospore-forming bacteria are considerably more resistant to ionizing radiation than are the nonspore formers; however, even these will be reduced in numbers by pasteurization doses. Radiation and thermal processing were demonstrated to interact, producing a greater inactivation of salmonellae on poultry meat than would be predicted from the individual processes. Salmonellae did not multiply at significantly greater rates on irradiated meat.