Irradiated foods

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Overview of Irradation
Irradiated foods benefits packers, shippers, and processors....not the consumer.

Food irradiation is the process of exposing food to ionizing radiation to destroy microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, or insects that might be present in the food. Further applications include sprout inhibition, delay of ripening, increase of juice yield, and improvement of re-hydration. Irradiated food does not become radioactive, but in some cases there may be subtle chemical changes. Irradiation is a more general term of the exposure of materials to radiation to achieve a technical goal (in this context "ionizing radiation" is implied). As such it is also used on non-food items, such as medical devices, plastics, tubes for gas pipelines, hoses for floor heating, shrink-foils for food packaging, automobile parts, wires and cables (isolation), tires, and even gemstones. Food irradiation acts by damaging the target organism's DNA beyond its ability to repair. Microorganisms can no longer proliferate and continue their malignant or pathogenic activities. Spoilage-causing microorganisms cannot continue their activities. Insects do not survive, or become incapable of reproduction. Plants cannot continue their natural ripening processes. The energy density per atomic transition of ionizing radiation is very high; it can break apart molecules and induce ionization, which is not achieved by mere heating. This is the reason for both new effects and new concerns. The treatment of solid food by ionizing radiation can provide an effect similar to heat pasteurization of liquids, such as milk. The use of the term "cold pasteurization" to describe irradiated foods is controversial, since pasteurization and irradiation are fundamentally different processes. Food irradiation is currently permitted by over 50 countries, and the volume of food treated is estimated to exceed 500,000 metric tons annually worldwide.

The food industry claims that irradiation does not change the food, that it is still raw because the food was not heated. But it kills off the enzymes, meaning it is no longer raw but cooked. A raw apple in the story may not actually be raw. Enzymes are needed for proper health. http://www.jigsawhealth.com/pdf/how_do_enzymes_work_in_your_body_langford.pdf

Irradiaion Levels
On the basis of the dose of radiation the application is generally divided into three main categories: Low dose applications (up to 1 kGy) Sprout inhibition in bulbs and tubers 0.03-0.15 kGy Delay in fruit ripening 0.25-0.75 kGy Insect disinfestation including quarantine treatment and elimination of food borne parasites 0.07-1.00 kGy Medium dose applications (1 kGy to 10 kGy) Reduction of spoilage microbes to prolong shelf-life of meat, poultry and seafoods under refrigeration 1.50–3.00 kGy Reduction of pathogenic microbes in fresh and frozen meat, poultry and seafoods 3.00–7.00 kGy Reducing the number of microorganisms in spices to improve hygienic quality 10.00 kGy High dose applications (above 10 kGy) Sterilization of packaged meat, poultry, and their products that are shelf stable without refrigeration 25.00-70.00 kGy Sterilization of Hospital diets 25.00-70.00 kGy Product improvement as increased juice yield or improved re-hydration These doses are above those currently permitted for these food items by the FDA and other regulators around the world. The Codex Alimentarius Standard on Irradiated Food does not specify any upper dose limit. NASA is authorized to sterilize frozen meat for astronauts at doses of 44 kGy as a notable exception. Irradiation treatments are also sometimes classified as radappertization, radicidation and radurization

Irradiation Logo
The label is not consistent. The amount of irradiation used can vary and since there are no published standards, the amount of pathogens affected by irradiation can vary as well. In addition, there are no regulations regarding the levels of pathogen reduction that must be achieved. Food that is processed as an ingredient by a restaurant or food processor is exempt from the labeling requirement in the US; other countries follow the Codex Alimentarius provision to label irradiated ingredients down to the last molecule (cf. EU). FDA is currently proposing a rule that in some cases would allow certain irradiated foods to be marketed without any labeling at all. Under the new rules, only those irradiated foods in which the irradiation causes a material change in the food, or a material change in the consequences that may result from the use of the food, would bear the Radura symbol and the term "irradiated", or a derivative thereof, in conjunction with explicit language describing the change in the food or its conditions of use. In the same rule FDA is proposing to permit a firm to use the terms "electronically pasteurized" or "cold pasteurized" in lieu of "irradiated", provided it notifies the agency that the irradiation process being used meets the criteria specified for use of the term "pasteurized". Food irradiation is sometimes referred to as "cold pasteurization" or "electronic pasteurization" because ionizing the food does not heat the food to high temperatures during the process, as in heat-pasteurization (at a typical dose of 10 kGy, food that is physically equivalent to water would warm by about 2.5 °C). The treatment of solid food by ionizing radiation can provide an effect similar to heat pasteurization of liquids, such as milk. The use of the term "cold pasteurization" to describe irradiated foods is controversial, because pasteurization and irradiation are fundamentally different processes, although the intended end results can in some cases be similar.

Outside Links
http://www.organicconsumers.org/irradlink.cfm

http://www.purefood.org/irrad/irradfact.cfm

http://www.jigsawhealth.com/pdf/how_do_enzymes_work_in_your_body_langford.pdf See page 25.

http://www.food-info.net/uk/colour/enzymaticbrowning.htm
 * Anybody who claims irradiation does not change food should read this.
 * It proves that food enzymes are killed.
 * This article plainly states that irradion inactivates enzymes.

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