Use of Irradiation to Ensure the Hygienic Quality of Fresh, Pre-cut Fruits and Vegetables and other Minimally Processed Food of Plant Origin.
IAEA TECDOC Series No. 1530.
Summary
Sales and consumption of fresh pre-cut and minimally processed fruits and vegetables continue to grow. Changes occurring in life and eating styles, as well as demographic changes, have been cited as one of the reasons for the increasing demand for this type of produce.
Since fresh fruits and vegetables are grown, processed or packaged in areas that may be exposed to microbial pathogen contamination, there is an increasing concern that these products may harbour microbial pathogens. In fact, a number of outbreaks linked to the consumption of contaminated fresh pre-cut fruits and vegetables have been reported. Prior to this Coordinated Research Project, studies on various chemical and physical methods of decontamination for their efficacy in destroying pathogens have been made. The use of ionizing radiation seems to have several advantages in relation to other alternative treatments, however more research was needed in order to demonstrate its efficacy without producing negative effects in the physiological traits of the fruit, and thus the commercial quality of these products.
The Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture initiated in 2001 a Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on the "Use of Irradiation to Ensure Hygienic Quality of Fresh, Pre-cut Fruits and Vegetables and other Minimally Processed Food of Plant Origin". This TECDOC includes the results of this CRP. The results contain data on the effect of ionizing radiation as a preservation method in more than 40 different produce and more than 12 pathogenic bacteria.
Irradiation proved to be an excellent process to improve the hygienic conditions and safety of fresh, pre-cut fruits and vegetables and other minimally processed food of plant origin. The doses applied for these purposes also extended the shelf-life of most of the produce studied.
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