By Maura Kak
Staff Writer

Irradiated meats have recently been approved by the FDA and will appear in grocery stores shortly.

The FDA has also approved the irradiation of many fruits, vegetables and spices. However, the process has met with much debate about its safety, and consumer acceptance of the process is vital for its success in the marketplace.

The fundamental process of irradiation has been around for many years and is widely used in many countries for the sanitation of products such as medical equipment, and foods prepared for cancer patients and astronauts. Yet, irradiated foods have been slow to appear in grocery stores, primarily because many consumers are uneasy about eating foods exposed to radiation, a reaction largely formed under the mistaken belief that radiation exposure renders food radioactive and harmful to humans.

However, this belief is unfounded. April Mason, a professor in the department of foods and nutrition, said, "The food does not come in contact with the radiation source. Food irradiation is an additional step to ensure the quality and safety of food products."

When a food product is irradiated, it passes through a chamber at the center of which is a pool of water containing a rack of steel rods which are partially composed of radioactive material. When the rack is raised out of the water, gamma rays are released into the chamber and passed through the food, which then exits the chamber on a conveyor belt.

The gamma rays that pass through the food are at the energetically high end of the electro-magnetic spectrum, as opposed to microwaves, which appear at the opposite end. While microwaves have enough energy to raise the temperature of a food by exciting its molecules, gamma rays have the ability to break the bonds that hold molecules together. For this reason, gamma radiation can disrupt vital chemical processes of insects and microorganisms and hinder their ability to reproduce.

In the same manner, gamma radiation can postpone the maturation of many foods and curb the sprouting of fresh vegetables, while disinfecting them by drastically reducing the number of insects and microorganisms present.

Mason strives to inform the community of the benefits of food irradiation through Purdue's cooperative extension service — an educational program aimed at non-students.

"[The program] looked at consumer conceptions about irradiation: did they understand the process, and know which foods were irradiated?" she said.

By presenting the facts about irradiation in classes open to the community, the program succeeds in allaying fears and correcting misconceptions about the process.

Mason said that since the success of the introduction of irradiated meats into grocery stores depends on consumer awareness, it is important for the community to know the facts of the process. "Overwhelmingly, in the programs that we conducted, consumer acceptance went up after our educational program," said Mason.