Benefits and Application of Irradiation in Vegetables and Fruits

The process in which food and food packaging are exposed to ionizing radiations such as x-rays, gamma rays and electron beams to improve the shelf life of the various food products, is called Food Irradiation

Additionally, this process is used to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses such as Salmonella and E.coli, delay ripening or sprouting in fruits and vegetables and sterilize foods as a means to control invasive pests and insects that could spoil the quality of food.

While irradiation is growing to be a popular technique in the food and agriculture sector, almost more than half of consumers have negative perceptions about irradiated food since they imagine the food to be mutated or radioactive and that it could damage their body. 

But, this is not how irradiation works. Irradiation techniques kill the living bacteria on the food and do not change the quality of the food itself. The WHO, the USDA and many other organizations have evaluated irradiated food to be safe for consumption. 

Here are a few benefits of irradiated food:

1. Preservation of food by destroying inactive organisms that could cause spoilage or decomposition of food, thereby increasing the shelf life of the food product.

2. Irradiation can be used to sterilize certain food products so that they could be stored for many years without refrigeration. Sterilized foods find their applications in hospital settings for patients with AIDS and patients undergoing chemotherapy- who have a severely damaged immune system.

3. To delay sprouting and ripening of fruits and vegetables and to increase their longevity.

4. To destroy or control insects that can grow on or in tropical fruits kept for imports.

5. To eliminate organisms that can cause foodborne illnesses.

Food Irradiation finds its applications mostly in treating fruits and vegetables since these food products can decompose quickly. The chances of fruits and vegetables getting spoilt by insects are also very high. 

If fruits and vegetables, especially the tropical ones need to be exported to another country, then their shelf life has to be long enough. Therefore, industries today make use of irradiation in fruits and vegetables to increase their longevity and to keep the insects and pests away.

Symec Engineers is one of the top Food Irradiation facility providers in India to help agriculturists increase the shelf life of their crops. Apart from this, they also provide irradiation facilities for medical products and devices manufacturing industry, Rubber Industry for vulcanization and for animal and poultry feed irradiation.