How Radiation Can Have an Effect on Plant-life: Food Irradiation

Before I clarify how radiation can have an effect on plant-life, I must first explain what radiation is, and how it is able to affect substances. Radiation comes from many places, from the Sun, to things individual makes like cell phones, TV's, radios and much more. Radiation is not always dangerous. It may be very dangerous depending on what type of radiation is being applied, and how long something is exposed to it. Radiation has two types, non-ionizing, which is mostly risk-free, and ionizing. High-energy dose can lead to harms within an organism. Radiation energy is transferred by particles or waves. While non-ionizing radiation is low-energy, ionizing radiation is extreme high energy, it can break chemical bonds. This means it can change the charge of an atom that interacts with it. This can also harm and destroy the nucleus of an atom, directly affecting an creatures DNA.

Food irradiation is a food protection technology planned to get rid of disease-causing germs from foods. Treating food with ionizing radiation can kill bacteria, parasites and germs that would otherwise cause multi disease. Similar knowledge is used to clear medical devices so they can be used in surgery or implanted with no danger of infection. The effects of irradiation on the food and on animals and people eating irradiated food have been studied and considered widely. These studies show obviously that when irradiation is being applied as approved on foods, illness-causing germs are reduced, the food does not become radioactive, dangerous substances do not appear in the foods, and the nutritional value of the food is basically unchanged.

There are three source that can be used for food irradiation which are , electron beam, beta rays , and gamma rays. With the electron beam the electrons are pushed out of the electron diamond with high energy, the electrons can only break through food to a depth of three centimeters (cm). Gamma and beta rays are different, as food is exposed to a source of radiation for a specific amount of time, dosimeters(dosimeter is a tool that measures publicity to ionizing radiation) are placed with the food to regulate how much radiation the food receives to cancel out the effect of radiation, the radiation ray is placed in a water-filled storage, so extra radiation does not escape when using gamma radiators the radioactive source is underwater at all times. So through using beta rays, Gamma rays and electrons beam we can treat the process of food irradiation.

Examples of irradiation food:

• Bacon
• Wheat flour
• Potatoes
• Spices
• Pork
• Fruits and vegetables
• Poultry
• Beef
• Chicken
• Lamb
• Eggs
• Frozen foods
• Deli meat
• Iceberg lettuce
• Spinach
• Shellfish

Irradiation on Vegetables carries a lot of advantages such as, increasing food safety, Aside from reducing food diseases; irradiation can also be used to extending food shelf life by tear down or inactivating organisms that cause decomposition for the organism tissues and cells. In addition there are no chemical remains, as World Health Organization said that “Irradiation does not make foods radioactive, compromise nutritional quality, or noticeably change the taste, texture, or appearance of food.” Moreover many would maintain that irradiation can cause to significant nutrition loss, but the studies explain it conserve nutrients better than other common food protection techniques such as boiling and freezing.

On the other hand irradiation of vegetables also holds some cons for example; Irradiation does not reduce toxins, and when applied below the recommended dose, it might not successfully decrease virus, it’s also harmful for Animals. Lastly irradiation cause Environmental pollution.

Taking everything into consideration, Irradiation has been a safe and possible technology for ensuring the safety and quality of food and for fighting food disease. As Irradiation food are safe, nutritious and wholesome. Lastly many companies like FDA has approved Irradiation on meat, fresh fruits and vegetables and much more.