Module 10 Flashcards
What is radiant energy?
- Radiation refers to the emission and propagation of energy through matter or space by electromagnetic disturbances, found within the electromagnetic spectrum of radiation.
Describe the electromagnetic spectrum.
- The longer wavelengths of electromagnetic energy that we are familiar with include visible light, infrared and ultraviolet rays. These are characterized by having low penetrating power. Microwaves and infrared radiation are two examples of the longer wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum.
- Examples of short wavelengths include X-rays, beta rays and gamma rays, which can be employed as energy sources in food irradiation since they have a good penetrating power. These forms of energy are referred to as ionizing energy.
How do microwaves work?
- Microwaves are used in food for their heating properties.
- The microwaves travel in straight lines and pass through air, glass, paper and plastic, but are reflected by metals.
- They are readily absorbed by water (polar molecule), causing it to vibrate.
- Heat is generated by the intermolecular friction generated from the vibrating water (polar) molecules in food.
- Microwaves are absorbed by the food up to a depth of 5 to 7.5 cm.
Give examples of infrared energy used in the real world.
- Infrared energy can generate heat.
- They can reach temperatures above 100°C.
- Typical examples of infrared energy can be seen in ovens, toasters, and even those “infrared” lamps used to keep food warm.
What is food irradiation?
- Food Irradiation is the application of radiation, in the form of ionizing energy, to foods.
- According to Health Canada, Food Irradiation means “the treatment of food with ionizing radiation” from the following sources:
- Gamma radiation from a Cobalt-60 or Cesium-137
- X-rays generated from a machine source operated at or below 5 MeV
- Electrons generated from a machine source operated at or below 10 MeV
What is gamma radiation?
- Electromagnetic radiation that has very short wavelengths, similar to ‘short’ x-rays.
- Isotopes such as Cobalt-60 and Cesium-137 emit gamma radiation as they disintegrate.
What are x-rays?
- Electromagnetic radiations that are highly energetic and of short wavelength.
- X-rays are produced by machines that emit a beam of fast electrons which hit a metal target in a vacuum.
- These machines emit radiation only when the machines are turned on.
What is an electron beam?
- Produced with high-energy (speed) electrons or by an electron beam accelerator.
- Electron beam accelerators need only electricity to operate and produce no waste materials.
What is the Gray?
- A unit of energy absorbed by a food irradiated with ionizing radiation.
- One thousand grays equals one kilogray (kGy).
- Most of the ionizing radiation processes permitted around the world involve absorbed doses of <10 kGy.
What is the Rad?
- A unit to express the radiation absorbed dose (rad), where 100 rads = 1 Gy
- However, the preferred unit is kGy
What is the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited?
- A Federal crown corporation that is a leading agency in the development of food irradiators that use cobalt-60 as the energy source.
What is the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission?
- Regulates the use of nuclear energy and material in Canada
Formerly the Atomic Energy Control Board
How is Cobalt-60 produced?
- In Candu reactors
- Contained within stainless steel rods that are used to control the rate of nuclear fission and is not extracted from spent nuclear fuel.
- The cobalt-60 pellets within the rods are recovered and then reassembled in stainless steel rods to be used as the energy source in food irradiators
Where are the food irradiation plants in Canada?
- Most of the irradiation facilities in Canada process medical and personal care supplies.
- MDS Nordion (Laval, Quebec) and Iotron (Port Coquitlam, BC) process some dry food ingredients.
- The former uses gamma rays, while the latter uses electron beam technology.
- The Canadian Irradiation Centre (CIC) is a training centre operated as a joint venture by MDS Nordion and the Université du Québec, Institut Armand-Frappier (IAF).
What is the basis of preservation of food by irradiation?
- The ability of the absorbed quanta of energy to dislodge electrons from molecules with the concomitant creation of free radicals without inducing radioactivity in the food.
When ionizing energy from a permitted source for food use is absorbed by food and collides with a molecule or atom, an ion-pair is produced if the energy from the collision is sufficient to dislodge an electron from an atomic orbit. This phenomenon can lead to the breaking up of one or more bonds between atoms in the molecule, leading to new molecular fragments possessing unshared electrons (free radicals). Because of the unshared electron, free radicals are extremely reactive and tend to react with other free radicals or other molecules with unshared electrons.
It is believed that only one out of every six billion chemical bonds in bacteria or food molecules are broken by irradiation. However, the formation of ion pairs and free radicals, the reaction of free radicals with one another or other molecules, and the chemical and physical phenomena that occur as a consequence of these events form the mechanisms for the inactivation of microorganisms, enzymes and alterations of food constituents during food irradiation.
Describe the indirect effects of ionizing radiation.
- Hydrogen, hydrogen peroxide and hydroperoxy free radicals are produced when ionizing energy is absorbed by foods (fruits, vegetables, meats, fish) that contain substantial quantities of water.
- Figure 10.3 shows the reactions of hydrogen (H) and hydroxyl (OH) free radicals produced by gamma irradiation of water molecules.
- These free radicals only exist for about 0.0001 seconds but generate hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) which is the antimicrobial agent that kills bacteria, yeasts, and moulds in foods.
- In many cases, the free radicals are formed within the microbial cells.
Describe the direct effects of ionizing radiation.
- Microorganisms may also be killed by a “direct effect” of the ionizing energy upon genetic material within the microbial cells that leads to the death of the microorganism.
- The damage occurring from ionizing radiation can be random and extensive, making DNA repair near impossible.
- In some cases, even relatively small changes in the DNA can destroy bacterial cells, and the disruption of genetic material in living cells by irradiation also enables the destruction of insects, inactivation of parasites, delaying of ripening, and prevention of sprouting.
Are free radicals unique to irradiated food?
- Free radical formation is not unique to foods that have been irradiated with ionizing energy.
- For example, oxidative reactions in foods containing unsaturated fats also involve free radical formation, and free radicals are also formed during the Maillard browning reactions.
- Free radicals are also produced within our bodies and other living tissues during normal metabolism.
- Mechanisms (chemical and enzymatic) for the inactivation of free radicals exist within the human body and other living tissues.
Does irradiated food become radioactive?
- Irradiation using approved sources provides enough energy to knock an electron from the outer orbit (that is why it is termed “ionizing radiation” or “irradiation”); however, it does not have sufficient energy to penetrate the nucleus and eject neutrons, which would be required to induce radioactivity.
- Therefore food will NOT become radioactive by irradiation conducted using approved energy sources and within the approved limit.
- To become radioactive, food would need to be exposed to a minimum of 15 MeV of energy.
- The energy output of Cobalt-60, Cesium-137, and electron beam accelerators is carefully regulated.
- The maximum energy outputs allowed are 5 or 10 MeV, which are too low to induce radioactivity in food.
You may be interested to know that all foods are naturally radioactive, although of course at a very low level. This low background level of radioactivity arises from the naturally occurring isotopes in elements such as carbon, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur.
Describe the radiolysis of water during irradiation.
- Radiolysis of water can produce reactive hydroxyl radicals, or reactions in foods of peroxides and peroxide free radicals with fats, leading to lipid oxidation (rancidity).
- Some vitamins are also sensitive to radiation.
- The extent of effects on both macronutrients and micronutrients are, of course, dependent on the dose of irradiation.
What are the two groups of compounds (radiolytic products) that have generated concern in irradiation of foods?
- Hydrocarbons
- 2-Alkylcyclobutanones
Of the two groups of radiolytic compounds that are produced during food irradiation, which is considered a ‘unique radiolytic product’?
- 2-alkylcyclobutanones
What are the opinions of Health Canada and of the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Food on potential toxicity concerns based on mutagenicity/genotoxicity studies?
- Both Health Canada and the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Food have reviewed mutagenicity/genotoxicity studies and found no significant toxicity concerns with irradiated foods.
What was the role of Health Canada in the mutagenic/genotoxic studies?
- Health Canada conducted extensive reviews and evaluations of the mutagenic/genotoxic studies to assess the safety of irradiated foods.
Which nutrients are less sensitive to irradiation? Which are most sensitive?
- Less sensitive: proteins, carbohydrates, and minerals
- More sensitive: vitamins, particularly vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, and some B vitamins
What effects could irradiation have on sensory properties?
- Irradiation can cause changes in flavor, color, texture, and odor of foods, although the extent varies depending on the type of food and the irradiation dose used.
What are 3 proposed methods of minimizing undesirable changes during food irradiation?
- Irradiation in frozen state
- Irradiation in a vacuum
- Addition of free radical scavengers
How does irradiation in the frozen state minimize undesirable changes during food irradiation?
- When water is frozen, free radicals are produced to a lesser extent
- The frozen state will delay free radical diffusion and migration to food constituents beyond the site of free radical production
- However, D10 values also change as the product freezes.
What are D10 values?
- D10 values are the dose of irradiation required to reduce a microbial population by 90%
- Lower D10 values indicate greater sensitivity to radiation
- Factors affecting D10 values include organism type, cell age, presence of oxygen, and the physical and chemical composition of the food.
Recall D10 values change as the water in the product freezes. For example, ground turkey’s D10 value increases as its temperature decreases, indicating higher resistance at lower temperatures (e.g., from 0.16 kGy at 30°C to 0.29 kGy at –30°C).
How does irradiation in a vacuum minimize undesirable changes during food irradiation?
- Removing O2 from the system may minimize reactions; however,
- Removal of oxygen could also confer a protective effect on microorganisms
How does the addition of free radical scavengers minimize undesirable changes of food during irradiation?
- Ascorbic acid has a great affinity for free radicals
- Addition of free radical scavengers to food systems results in consumption of the free radicals via reactions between the scavengers and the free radical(s).
What is the purpose of a dose of <1 kGy?
- Inhibit sprouting of vegetables (potatoes)
- Kill insect eggs, larvae (wheat)
- Slow ripening (bananas)
- Inactivate parasites (pork)
What is the purpose of a dose of 1 to 10 kGy?
- eliminate disease-causing bacteria and parasites (chicken; ground beef; fruit and veg)
- decrease or eliminate spoilage causing microorganisms (e.g., mould) (fresh strawberries)
What is the purpose of a dose of irradiation of 10 to 50 kGy?
- decontaminate food ingredients and additives (enzymes and spices)
- commercially sterilize food (sterilized hospital diets; foods for use on missions in outer space)
What is radicidation?
- A process designed to kill or inhibit disease-causing microorganisms (such as vegetative bacteria, yeasts, and parasites) in food.
- Absorbed doses are often below 10 kGy.
- Foods that have been treated with a radicidation dose of ionizing energy must still be stored under refrigeration since all spoilage-causing microorganisms would not have been killed.