Ionizing energy in food processing and pest control. 1. Wholesomeness of food treated with ionizing energy (no. 109).
1986
Wierbicki Eugen
Congressional concerns about the use of ionizing energy for food preservation and to control pests in food products for export and domestic use promoted the preparation of this report by a special task force of the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST). An overview surveys research conducted on the toxicological safety, nutritional quality, and microbiological safety of foods treated with ionizing energy. Background information is provided on various types of electromagnetic radiation, effects of ionizing energy level and dose, sources of natural background radiation and induced radioactivity, and the nature and safety of various radiolytic products. Objectives, methodologies, and problems associated with feeding studies of toxicological safety are outlined; results of scientific studies, U.S. government wholesomeness studies, and international feeding studies are summarized. Studies on the nutritional value of food products processed using ionized energy have examined the effects of ionizing energy on 1) composite diets, 2) carbohydrates, 3) fats, 4) proteins and amino acids, 5) vitamins (potatoes, onions, fruits, meat, seafood, cereals, vegetables, dairy products, oils), 6) antivitamins, and 7) minerals. The report concludes that currently available scientific evidence indicates that foods exposed to ionizing energy under the conditions proposed for commercial application are 1) wholesome (safe to eat) and 2) comparable in nutritional adequacy to fresh or conventionally processed foods.
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