Detection Methods for Irradiated Foods - Current Status.

Food irradiation is a process which can improve the quality of a food and extend its shelf-life. Whilst there has been growing interest in irradiating food, so there has been a growing insistence from the consumer that they have the right of choice as to whether they consume such foods. The ability to identify irradiated foods is therefore of fundamental importance to the whole food industry to ensure the rights of the consumer. The Editors point out that the pace of development in methods of detection is so fast that five of those mentioned in the book are currently being considered as new official standards by the EC. All currently known methods of identifying whether a foodstuff has been irradiated are included in this book.

The Contents are divided into a general introduction including the Physical Mechanisms of Irradiation Technologies and Their Characteristic Effects and The Contribution of Analytical Detection Methods to the Enforcement of Good Irradiation Practice. Physical Methods - Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) Spectroscopy, which includes sections on detection in crustacea, soft fruit, mechanically recovered meat, chicken legs and eggs, spices. Physical Methods - Thermoluminescence outlines the techniques for identifying irradiated foods as well as treating the recent advances in methodology and includes section on shellfish, spices, herbs and numerous other foodstuffs. Other Physical Methods includes sections on detection methods for dry ingredients, detection of potatoes by impendance measurement, viscosity measurement for irradiated peppers, and black and white pepper. Chemical Methods - Lipids includes progress using the measurement of lipid derived volatiles, identification of irradiated seafood. Other Chemical Methods includes status on detection methods based on radiolytic products, determination of 0- tyrosine in shrimps, fish, mussels, frogs legs and egg-white, using immunochemical methods, peroxide method, simple test using multiple gas sensors, hydrogen in ice and in irradiated chicken. DNA Methods includes "Comet Assay", mitochondrial DNA methods for fresh, chilled and frozen foods, detection of modified DNA bases in irradiated food. Biological Methods covers the use of this methodology for fruits and grains, and spices.