2023-06-05 11:45:59
In the beginning, we must know that natural and fresh food should take priority in our diet, but despite this, the spread of microorganisms increases for many reasons, so food processing has become very important and perhaps essential in order to preserve our health. We should not worry as soon as we hear the terms Like food processing or irradiation of food, everything used in processing is approved by international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).
Exposing food to radiation does not make it a radioactive source because it absorbs studied waves for a specific period of time for each food. This method is not only used to sterilize food, but it is also used to sterilize types of medicines, sterilize hospitals, and even animal feed, in order to preserve human safety from the spread of diseases and epidemics.
It is an effective method that does not use chemical preservatives or heat to high temperatures, which ensures that the structure of the food does not change or its nutritional value is spoiled
How this technology works
This technology is used in food processing in order to kill microorganisms that may be transmitted to food. There are dangerous types of bacteria and viruses that are transmitted to food and some of them may be fatal. A different dose ratio is applied to each type of food, and the basic mechanism in the work of radiation is targeting acid nuclear microorganisms and destroy it.
Most of the spices and leaves of plants we buy are irradiated and it is the most effective technology for processing large surface foods such as spices and minced meat.
After we got acquainted with this method of sterilizing food, we can say that it is an effective method in which preservatives are not used or heated to high temperatures, which ensures that the structure of the food does not change or its nutritional value is spoiled.
Types of x-rays used
The types of rays differ due to several factors:
- penetration force.
- wave length.
- indecision.
- and other influences of energy sources on biological systems.
These rays are in the form of electromagnetic waves, and they vary in wavelength, such as ultraviolet rays, x-rays, and microwave rays. These rays are used alone or with other factors such as heating and cooling, so we often see crop storage refrigerators that contain LED lighting, and this feature not only contributes to sterilization, but also helps to improve food such as improving maturity and killing fungus.
microwave radiation
Microwave radiation is a non-ionizing radiation that has the ability to sterilize, and it is the only one that relies on sterilization through heating by vibrating food particles. This type of radiation cannot distribute heat uniformly, and we notice this a lot when using a microwave device at home.
The microwave that we use at home is a safe device according to a lot of research. On the other hand, there are studies that show the opposite, that short wave radiation is one of the factors that cause depression and some mental illnesses, but non-thermal short waves are more effective, and this means that microwave radiation is better. than others.
What distinguishes food treatment with radiation is that it is able to sterilize comprehensively and guaranteed, but this does not mean that the types of radiation are exonerated from the negative impact on the human body and health, such as ultraviolet radiation.
gamma rays
Gamma rays are ionizing rays and are used on food after packaging in order to ensure as much sterilization as possible and that the product does not come into contact with any external factors. This type of radiation has a high cost.
plasma rays
Plasma rays are used to treat food surfaces, and are often applied to agricultural crops. They are able to dissolve chemicals such as pesticides and fungus toxins that may transfer to food surfaces. It sterilizes hospitals, and it even has anti-cancer properties.
Radiation and its effect on the human body
What distinguishes food treatment with radiation is that it is capable of comprehensive and guaranteed sterilization, but this does not mean that the types of radiation are absolved of the negative impact on the human body and health, such as ultraviolet radiation, which may be a cancer-causing factor, and at the same time it is effective in killing germs and viruses. But what you should know is that we are not directly exposed to radiation when eating this type of food, and our bodies will not be negatively affected. Rather, it is completely safe, contrary to what many consumers think.
We can identify irradiated foods by marking on the packaging.
The effect of radiation on food
Of course, there must be a slight loss in nutritional values compared to other methods used in the treatment and sterilization of food, such as pasteurization and drying.
Sources
- Shahi S, Khorvash R, Goli M, Ranjbaran SM, Najarian A, Mohammadi Nafchi A. Review of proposed different irradiation methods to inactivate food-processing viruses and microorganisms. Food Sci Nutr. 2021 Aug 22;9(10):5883-5896. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.2539. PMID: 34646553; PMCID: PMC8498048.
- Pall ML. Microwave frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) produce widespread neuropsychiatric effects including depression. J Chem Neuroanat. 2016 Sep;75(Pt B):43-51. doi: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2015.08.001. Epub 2015 Aug 21. PMID: 26300312.
- https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/communication/food-irradiation.html
- https://www.epa.gov/radtown/food-irradiation
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