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A shot in the arm for food irradiation

Though India is the largest producer of mangoes in the world, export to the United States has not been possible for many years because of stringent import regulations designed to prevent the entry of products carrying potential pests and diseases. The 17-year deadlock over the issue has ended, with the two governments agreeing on the use of irradiation before export to rid mangoes from India of pests and to delay their ripening by 10-14 days. The practice of irradiating food has been well researched for nearly half a century and its safety established. The fact that several organisations including the World Health Organisation, International Atomic Energy Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have endorsed the safety of irradiated food should remove any reservations in this regard. Food is irradiated mainly to eliminate or reduce harmful bacteria and insects that cause spoilage, and to increase shelf life by delaying ripening or inhibiting sprouting in the case of fruits and vegetables. Irradiation however does not obviate the need for proper food handling practices. India is among the 40-odd countries that allow food irradiation. The recent agreement with the U.S. will be a shot in the arm for the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) that is popularising the technology as also for Indian farmers. While irradiation for sterilising medical products has been in use for more than 30 years in India, its application for certain food items was first approved in 1994. Apart from two demonstration facilities run by the DAE, there are now six private facilities for irradiating medical and food products.

Despite its advantages, irradiation has not gained widespread acceptance because of unfounded apprehensions. One such is that food products become radioactive after irradiation. It has been well documented that unlike neutrons that can induce nuclear changes, irradiating food with gamma rays using cobalt-60 or cesium-137 does not induce radioactivity nor will electron energy up to 10 MeV. Though radiolytic products such as formaldehyde can be produced when food is irradiated, they are not produced at doses used for preventing sprouting or delaying ripening or killing pests. "Virtually all of the radiolysis products found in high-dose irradiated foods to date are either naturally present in foods or produced in thermally processed foods," noted WHO in one of its reports. While some vitamins are prone to be affected by irradiation depending on the dosage, macronutrients such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates are not significantly altered in terms of nutrient value. "From a nutritional viewpoint, irradiated foods are substantially equivalent or superior to thermally sterilised foods... ," the WHO report stated. That American astronauts take irradiated food and immuno-compromised patients in some countries such as the Netherlands and the United Kingdom are given irradiated food testifies to its safety.

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