Irradiation is an advanced technology of food preservation, which is widely used in food processing in 50 countries.

Qualified radiation treatment is better than the use of chemical preservatives less pollution, better nutritional value

Recently exposed the hidden rules of the exposure of the company's anti-corrosion processing of enterprises, it is pointed out that there are manufacturers of food for the benefit of excessive exposure to extend the shelf life, there are manufacturers do not label the food will be listed on the market for sale. All kinds of irregularities caused by people's attention.

Data show that the country, including fruits and vegetables, spices, packaging, food and other food production of 300 thousand tons per year, more than tons per year, to occupy nearly 1/3 of the world's production, covering the daily consumption of Cereals, potatoes, garlic, mushrooms, and hundreds of food. It can be said that a lot of people are more or less the intake of irradiated food, which is associated with a lack of many products, ignoring the public's right to know.

However, a lot of people mentioned by easy too literally, even directly relate to nuclear radiation, fear of contamination. So, this technology will be used in the processing of food? Is the safety of the irradiated food have no guarantee? Temporary consumption will not affect people's physical health? This newspaper interviewed the relevant experts.

News playback: the hidden rules of exposure to the CCTV exposure

CCTV financial channel, the first time to focus on food, pointed out that China's food and other products, including fruits and vegetables, spices, packaging, food and other food production per year, more than 300 thousand tons, accounting for nearly 1/3 of global output due to the irradiation of corporate regulatory gaps, some companies only care about the interests of the process, there is a phenomenon of illegal operation.

Reported that almost all domestic vacuum packed chicken feet products after irradiation treatment, but on the market many pickled chicken feet products are no "irradiation" logo. As for the "radiation" logo products, but many consumers "scared scared even said do not consider eating. In this regard, Shanghai Food Research Institute technical director Ma Zhiying pointed out that in fact, the state regulations in all of the irradiated food in its smallest packaging measurement unit must have the irradiation logo, which is the maintenance of the consumer's right to know. Many manufacturers said, do not want to clearly indicate that it is afraid of causing misunderstanding of consumers, the impact of sales.

In addition, the report also exposed some of the enterprises exceeded the standard and the expired food irradiation of the unspoken rules, pointed out that in actual production, if customers want to extend the shelf life, manufacturers in order to profit willing to break through irradiation limits, repeated several times, and even willing to join fast expired food processing.

Experts say: "on the web" pale for not understanding the illegal operation of refraction regulatory gaps

CCTV exposure reflects two problems of food irradiation, one is the public of irradiation technology in irradiated food, do not understand, easy to read; the second is the irradiation enterprise regulatory gaps. Guangdong College of pharmacy, Department of nutrition and food hygiene, director Wang Xiaobo professor pointed out that actually the study of irradiation technology at home and abroad has been carried out for decades, had strict laws and regulations to regulate the use of the, and from the point of view that to maintain the public's right to know, the identification of this kind of food is the unified requirements, but the popularization of knowledge is relatively backward, many people on "irradiation" take the words too literally, talk about "spoke" pale, mistakenly think that the processing technology and the nuclear radiation pollution.

Some companies use it as an excuse, said the fear of cause misunderstandings so not on food clearly marked, in fact the dodgy practices more easily suitable for the anti. Wang Xiaobo believes that strengthening the scientific basis of radiation technology, through multi-channel to let consumers know the food safety and ensure their right to know, more conducive to the elimination of public concerns, and gradually get consumers' trust and acceptance. In fact, the majority of enterprises is by regulating the operation but from CCTV survey of the existence of regulatory gaps, resulting in the practical implementation of "failure to abide by" the phenomenon still exists

But the public should be divided clearly, this is not a problem of technology itself, should not therefore negate the role of radiation processing. Wang Xiaobo appeal, the relevant management level should be improved as soon as possible to improve the management and monitoring of food irradiation system.

Radiation literacy: irradiation is advanced technology use dose of advanced technology

According to Wang Xiaobo introduction, irradiation is the advanced food preservation technology, the use of safe dose of cobalt 60 gamma rays or electron beam irradiation food, to prevent, disinfection, sterilization, has been included in the United States and China, and more than 50 countries in the world for a variety of food processing. Strict regulations on the use of irradiation technology in china. Is Gy irradiation dose, 1 kg is irradiated material absorption 1 joule of energy for 1 Gy, kGy irradiation commonly used units. The scope of the irradiation dose, according to different processing purposes, is divided into three types:

Anti-corrosion: dose is generally less than 5 kGy, to eliminate harmful microorganisms and prevent food decaying and prolong the ripening period.

2 disinfection: dose reached between 5 to 10 kGy, the food can not detect the specific non sporing pathogenic bacteria, such as potatoes, etc. some of the crops can be up to inhibition of germination and prolong the shelf life.

3. The sterilization dose reached between 10-50 thousand Gy, inactivation in food by the vast majority of micro-organisms, the custody of the enzyme activity, no pollution of the environment can have a longer preservation period.

In fact, in recent years, the irradiation of food has been presented at the dinner table, a lot of people more or less eat, just don't know it.

Wang Xiaobo said that from 1984 onwards, the country approved by the Ministry of health food consumption of food will have potato, onion, garlic, peanuts, corn, mushrooms, sausages and other 7. Development to the present, international Codex Alimentarius Commission has approved irradiation processing can be used in the 7 major categories of food: Cereals, beans and their products, dried fruit, preserved fruit, cooked livestock poultry, frozen packaging of livestock and poultry meat, spices, fresh fruits, vegetables and aquatic products category. Country has approved irradiated foods have been covered above except aquatic products in 6 major categories, the basic coverage of the people daily consumption of rare species, a total of more than 500 has been listed in different parts of the world, of which the most common have Valley potato, garlic, onion, frozen shrimp and condiments etc. has realized large-scale commercial production and in a number of countries trade circulation. A lot of families or restaurants may have to buy and eat, but very few people will pay attention to the food before cooking, there is no "irradiation" logo.

Question analysis: radiation food safety?

Wang Xiaobo said that the current public concerns about the safety of irradiated food mainly exist in the following 3 aspects:

1 will there be no residual radiation?

Wang Xiaobo analysis, the provisions of the dose range of safe operation, food exposure is only a low dose of radiation, no direct contact with the radioactive particles and residues. In fact, a large number of international institutions such as the World Health Organization, the international food and Agriculture Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency have organized a large number of toxicological experiments, which proved that the use of a reasonable dose is safe and even more secure than the use of chemical preservatives, less pollution.

2 whether the value of support?

According to Wang Xiaobo, a total dose of not more than 10 kGy range by irradiated foods in toxicological, nutritional and microbiological problems do not exist. This conclusion is raised by the international research organization of the United Nations Atomic Energy Agency in the 80's of last century, and has set off a craze for the study of irradiated food in the world. However, the research also found that, when the irradiation dose beyond 10 kGy, the food in the sugar branch has decomposition, vitamin have destroyed, minerals, the efficacy of also decreased. But as long as still in the values of the provisions of the peace, this effect far less than food cooking or frying heating caused by the nutrients.

3 temporary consumption has no side effects?

Temporary consumption of irradiated food, will not adversely affect the body? In this regard, Wang Xiaobo admits: Although the current proven qualified radiation food, although through toxicological experiments is safe, but the use of this new technology has been more than 20 years. Specification of the use of irradiation for food preservative, disinfection, sterilization process, will not occur in high radiation resistance of the microbial species? At present, there is no scientific evaluation of this aspect, it is still to be further observed and studied.