Electron Beam Technology and Other Irradiation Technology Applications in the Food Industry

• Published in: Applications of Radiation Chemistry in the Fields of Industry, Biotechnology and Environment pp. 249 - 268
• Main Authors: Pillai, Suresh D., Shayanfar, Shima
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Springer International Publishing AG 2017; Springer International Publishing
• Series: Topics in Current Chemistry Collections
• Subjects: Electron beam; Food irradiation; Industrial chemistry; Nuclear chemistry, photochemistry & radiation; Nuclear issues; Pasteurization; Pathogen; Phytosanitary
• ISBN: 3319541447; 9783319541440
• ISSN: 2367-4067; 2367-4075
• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-54145-7_9

Food irradiation is over 100 years old, with the original patent for X-ray treatment of foods being issued in early 1905, 20 years after there discovery by W. C. Roentgen in 1885. Since then, food irradiation technology has become one of the most extensively studied food processing technologies in the history of mankind. Unfortunately, it is the one of the most misunderstood technologies with the result that there are rampant misunderstandings of the core technology, the ideal applications, and how to use it effectively to derive the maximum benefits. There are a number of books, book chapters, and review articles that provide overviews of this technology [25, 32, 36, 39]. Over the last decade or so, the technology has come into greater focus because many of the other pathogen intervention technologies have been unable to provide sustainable solutions on how to address pathogen contamination in foods. The uniqueness of food irradiation is that this technology is a nonthermal food processing technology, which unto itself is a clear high-value differentiator from other competing technologies.