FOOD AND AGRICULTURE IRRADIATION
Irradiation does not make foods radioactive, compromised nutritional quality, or noticeably change the taste, texture, or appearance of food. In fact, any changes made by irradiation are so minimal that it is not easy to tell if a food has been irradiated.
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Food irradiation is a processing and preservation technique with similar results to freezing or pasteurisation. During this procedure, the food is exposed to doses of ionising energy, or radiation. At low doses, irradiation extends a product’s shelf life. At higher doses, this process kills insects, moulds, bacteria and other potentially harmful micro-organisms with considerable scientific research over the past five decades indicates that food irradiation is a safe and effective form of processing.
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Food irradiation has been approved in 40 countries including Australia, the United States, Japan, China, France and Holland. Food irradiation (the application of ionizing radiation to food) is a technology that improves the safety and extends the shelf life of foods by reducing or eliminating microorganisms and insects. Like pasteurizing milk and canning fruits and vegetables, irradiation can make food safer for the consumer.
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Ionising radiation to induce mutations in plant breeding has been used for several decades, and some 3200 new crop varieties. Gamma or neutron irradiation is often used in conjunction with other techniques to produce new genetic lines of root and tuber crops, cereals, and oil seed crops.
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Food irradiation can only be used if it fulfils a technological need or is necessary for a food safety or food hygiene purpose. It does not replace the need for correct food handling practices in the industry and in the home. For instance, a few bacteria may survive the irradiation of the meat. If the meat is left unrefrigerated, these bacteria could still multiply and cause food poisoning.
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“The new invention of food irradiation technology bring us new hopes for our life.
Food is energy to our body, the most important.”
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