Bibliographies

Food irradiation is essentially a physical treatment whereby pallets of food product on a conveyor pass by the gamma radiation source. Ionizing radiation from the Cobalt-60 pencils penetrates the food, disrupting the DNA molecular structure of microbial cells, such as bacteria, yeast, and molds. Insects and parasites or their eggs and larvae are either killed or made sterile. The process barely increases the temperature of food undergoing treatment and does not render food radioactive in any way. Ionizing energy passes through the food, but unlike fumigant treatments, leaves no chemical residues. Foods processed by irradiation can be shipped, stored, or eaten immediately after treatment.

In the U.S., food irradiation has been used for years to sustain the shelf-life of perishable foods like strawberries, to eliminate mold growth on spices, and to kill salmonella and other food-borne pathogens found in pork and chicken. In Florida, Food Technology Services irradiates poultry for retail markets and provides sterilized meals for thousands of hospital patients who suffer from weakened immune systems. In Japan, thousands of tons of potatoes are irradiated annually to inhibit sprouting. In France, Camembert cheese is commonly irradiated. Over 40 countries have approved irradiation for a variety of foodstuffs-wheat in Canada, pork sausages in Thailand, apples in China, mangoes in Mexico, and tomatoes in Israel.

The process of irradiation is not suitable for all foods, nor is it a "miracle cure" for food-borne illnesses. It cannot convert spoiled food into a safe edible product. As our knowledge of science has grown, however, irradiation has proven to be an efficient and safe food preserva-tion process, along with pasteurization, pickling, fermentation, canning, cooking and cold storage.

Irradiation is, importantly, a proven commodity treatment for various insect-host fruits and vegetables. That is the crux of Hawaii's stake in irradiation technology. It offers a long sought tool to bring the fruit of Hawaii's orchards to the American table.

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