Food Irradiation - An Effective Technology for Food Safety and Security

Introduction

During the food irradiation process, ionizing radiation is applied to food and food packaging [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. It is a technique for physically preparing food in which prepared or bulk food is exposed to gamma, x, or electron radiation [7].

Ionizing radiation can only be used to irradiate food using electrons with a maximum energy of 10 MeV and electromagnetic (EM) radiation with a maximum energy of 5 MeV. The procedure gets rid of the bacteria, insects, molds, and fungus that cause foodborne illnesses or food spoilage. Food must be exposed to an effective dosage of ionizing radiation for a predetermined period of time in order to irradiate it. Irradiation preserves the food’s flavor, texture, aroma, and nutritional value while also making it safer and less likely to spoil. Foods cannot always be radioactively sterilized. For instance, a number of fruits, like some cucumbers, tomatoes, and grapes, are radiation- sensitive [1].

Food irradiation technology is gaining popularity across the globe. In comparison to heat or chemical treatment, irradiation is a more effective and acceptable method of getting rid of food- borne bacteria. The method, which is quite similar to pasteurization, makes food safer to eat by getting rid of microorganisms. For two seasons, radiation-exposed food products are not radioactive. First off, when cobalt-60 is subjected to the gamma rays used in food radiation, it does not become radioactive. Second, because it never comes into contact with the source directly, the meal cannot become radioactively polluted [8].

Ethiopia’s economy is mostly based on agriculture, making about 38.8% of its GDP (National Planning Commission, 2016). The majority of this contribution is made by the agriculture and livestock subsectors, with crops contributing almost 30% of the GDP and 67.3 percent of export earnings (National Bank of Ethiopia, 2015) [9]. According to data from the Central Statistical Agency (CSA), sorghum accounted for 14.6 percent of Ethiopia’s total grain crop area in the 2014– 2015 cropping season, placing it third after teff (24.0 percent) and maize (16.8 percent) [10].

Pests and spoilage take between one-third and fifty percent of the food produced worldwide. Nuclear (radiation) technology can halt a significant percentage of these losses by postponing spoilage. Irradiation can lessen food post-harvest losses brought on by bugs, germs, mold (fungus), sprouting, or over ripeness. These losses are estimated to account for between 25 and 40 percent of the output in many developing countries [1].

According to numerous data sources from published, unpublished, and other scientific studies, aflatoxin is easily contaminated by peanuts, red pepper, maize, malt barely, sorghum, and other types of crop commodities [11].

Millions of cases of foodborne illness are reported each year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Due to food recalls and medical expenses, these food poisonings have a significant financial impact. It has also been reported that the availability, abundance, and safety of food are in jeopardy; that by 2050, the global production of wholesome food must rise by 70%; that a significant amount of food—about 40%, or 1.3 billion tons annually—is lost between production and consumption, representing a lost investment for farmers; and that this loss adds to consumer costs and burdens on the environment. New solutions are required to address these issues with health, the economy, and the environment [12].

Man has always been quite concerned about food preservation. Due to insect and microbial contamination, foods lose a sizable portion of their nutritious content during storage, transportation, and marketing (15 percent for cereals, 20 percent for fish and dairy products and up to 40 percent for fruits and vegetables). Particularly, pathogenic bacteria are one of the most significant global public health problems and a major cause of human suffering. In 1992, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that infectious and parasitic diseases were the primary cause of death worldwide (35 percent), with the majority of deaths taking place in underdeveloped countries [13, 14].

Post-harvest losses for a few crops in Ethiopia have been estimated to be between 10 and 50 percent, with losses for maize, barley, and sorghum being respectively 17.4 percent, 10 percent, and 12.5 percent [15, 16, 17]. Pakistan reportedly banned all supplies of red kidney beans from Ethiopia in 2017 [18]. Ethiopian beans are said to contain significant levels of phytohemagglutinin, which might make them hazardous if they were to change. Pakistan is one of the major importers of food from Ethiopia. The ban will be a fatal blow to regional exporters and the reputation of locally cultivated beans.

For a few crops in Ethiopia, post-harvest losses have been reported to range from 10 to 50 percent, with maize, barley, and sorghum each suffering losses of 17.4 percent, 10 percent, and 12.5 percent [15, 16, 17]. According to a report Getachew S [18], Pakistan outlawed in 2017 all shipments of red kidney beans from Ethiopia. According to reports, Ethiopian beans have high phytohemagglutinin concentrations, which might make them poisonous if they were to change. One of the main countries that imports food from Ethiopia is Pakistan. The restriction will be a devastating blow to local exporters and the standing of homegrown beans.

Discussion

Consumed for their nutritional worth, foods are organic materials. Foods are organic substances like moisture, protein, fat, carbohydrate, and minerals that are derived from either plants or animals. Foods turn perishable due to physical, chemical, or microbial factors. The nutritional value, color, texture, and flavor of food can all be impacted by food rotting. So as to maintain their quality over an extended length of time, foods must be preserved. The processes or strategies used to manage both internal and external factors that could cause food to spoil are referred to as food preservation. The main goal of food preservation is to prolong the shelf life of food while maintaining its original nutritional content, color, texture, and flavor [19].

The benefits and hazards of eating particular foods for health are known to consumers. The food industry puts a lot of effort, resources, and knowledge into producing products that are safe and meet consumer expectations. Food contamination can be prevented by examining raw materials prior to their entry into the food chain, storing the food at a cooling temperature, processing the food to lessen or eliminate the microbial burden, and avoiding contamination after processing [7]. A safe and helpful process for the environment is irradiation. Irradiation of food can also have a direct influence on a country’s capacity to export food.

Irradiation truly offers the same advantages as heating, cooling, drying, or chemically treating with the further benefits that [1]:

• It does not affect taste, smell or texture of the food
• It does not leave potentially harmful residues, unlike chemical treatments
• It can be used to treat packaged foods, protecting them from subsequent microbial contamination or pest reinfestation Food irradiation is a technique that can be used safely to reduce food losses due to deterioration and to control contamination that may cause illness and even death. Irradiating food using high- energy electron beams, gamma rays, or x-rays kills undesired microorganisms, insects, fungi, and other pests while also postponing rotting. It does not make food radioactive. Irradiation renders pathogens sterile and destroys them [8].

All foods change in composition after being harvested, whether it be fruit ripening, cellular or chemical structure breakdown by enzymes or bacteria, or bacterial toxin production. If food is not consumed right after harvest, it will start to deteriorate enzymatically or microbially [20].

Food is exposed to radiation at very low temperatures. Food irradiation can be used on frozen foods or other heat- sensitive foods instead of heat treatment (e.g., fruits). Food irradiation, which uses powerful penetrating gamma rays to treat food of various sizes, eliminates the serious problem of cross-contamination during transport and handling. Food can be irradiated without using as much energy as more conventional methods like freezing or heating [20].

Whether they are fresh or prepared, foods all deteriorate when they are exposed to heat, light, or oxygen. Numerous breakdown products are known to be produced as a result of thermal denaturation and oxidation. The first stage of degradation is the creation of “free radicals.” All diets contain free radicals, which are unstable and commonly present. The breakdown byproducts produced when an item of food is exposed to ionizing radiation are known as radiolytic products. Food contains extremely low amounts (in the ppm range) of radiolysis products, which are now impossible to quantify. The major components of food—water, protein, lipids (fatty substances), and carbohydrates (starches, sugar, and cellulose)—are all vulnerable to radiolytic attack. Fats are the materials that are most vulnerable to oxidation and free- radical damage. The identified products primarily appear to result from the breakdown of smaller molecules into smaller fragments or from the combining of these fragments [20].

Conclusion

Food is processed and preserved with irradiation, which yields results similar to pasteurization or freezing. During this process, the food is subjected to doses of radiation or ionizing radiation. At modest doses, irradiation lengthens a product’s shelf life. At higher doses, this mechanism kills insects, mold, bacteria, and other potentially harmful germs [20, 24].

Irradiation has the potential to be employed for pest control, product quality improvement, shelf- life extension, and decontamination [5]. De-infestation is one of the most important postharvest steps in food processing. One way to increase shelf life is to prevent sprouting. Another technique is to postpone the ripening and senescence of tropical fruits. Irradiation extends the shelf life of perishable commodities by getting rid of spoiling bacteria. As fruits ripen, they normally gradually lose their capacity to fend off phytopathogens. When ripening is delayed using a low dose, a higher level of resistance is maintained in the fruit, and as an added benefit, microbial development is delayed. Irradiation has the power to eradicate diseases and reduce microbial load.

Irradiation can greatly extend the shelf life of many fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, and sea food [25]. Additionally, it may be possible to reduce the spread of illness, pests, and bugs through international trade. This will help us improve overall public health. Food irradiation can raise the caliber and acceptance of Ethiopian food exports on global markets.

To increase food safety, quality, and commerce, irradiation, a relatively new technology, has just been introduced to this arsenal of food security techniques. Irradiation can be used to kill bacteria that cause illness and food deterioration in solid foods like meat, poultry, seafood, and spices because it is a cold approach. Without altering the food’s nutritional value or sensory qualities, bug eggs and larvae can also be killed off in fresh fruits and vegetables. It is remarkable at rendering dangerous microorganisms in frozen food dormant. Foods that were frozen or uncooked before irradiation stay that way afterward, and volatile aromatic components are preserved, as irradiation is a type of cold pasteurization [24].