Chapter 14: Ionizing Radiation Increasing the Quality of Food Potentially Suitable for AI Perfecting Check Access

The article comprises essential information on food irradiation, a method of food disinfection less popular than pasteurization for example, but is presently widely applied for disinfection of spices and herbs, the components of food products. The method is safe and very effective in killing all kinds of pathogenic insects and microorganisms appearing accidentally in food and food products available in trade. The AI perfecting of food irradiation offers automatic push button adjustment of optimal irradiation conditions ensuring effective and economic microbial disinfection of any sort of food. The basic aspects of food irradiation are discussed through this study as WHO/FAO international regulations for the general use of irradiated food, including, obligatory labeling of irradiated food items or batches, food containing irradiated ingredients, the problem of the acceptance of irradiated food, standardization of food irradiation by WHO–FAO Commission, irradiation sources selected for food irradiation maximal doses of ionizing radiation allowed, food irradiation facilities, food irradiation, the measuring and control conditions adapted for food irradiation, limitation concerning the assortments of irradiated food distributed in the EU countries, the requirements concerning radiation processing of food, various applications of food irradiation addressed to market food from sprout inhibition to inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms, sterilization of food for special care patients and cosmonauts as well as health aspects of irradiated food. The important problem of radiation resistant plastic packaging for irradiated food is discussed. The extractable sugar content in freshly harvested sugar beets exposed to the action of ionizing radiation is reported.