Effect of electron and X-ray irradiation on microbiological and chemical parameters of chilled turkey

Abstract

The purpose of this work was to compare the effect of electron and X-ray irradiation on microbiological content and volatile organic compounds in chilled turkey meat. Dose ranges which significantly suppress the pathogenic microflora while maintaining the organoleptic properties of the turkey meat are different for electron and X-ray irradiation. According to the study it is recommended to treat chilled turkey using X-ray irradiation with the dose ranging from 0.5 to 0.75 kGy, while in electron irradiation permissible doses should be within 0.25–1 kGy. Three main groups of volatile compounds: alcohols, ketones, and aldehydes—were found in irradiated and non-irradiated samples of turkey meat. It was found that the total amount of aldehydes, which are responsible for the formation of a specific odor of irradiated meat products, increases exponentially with the increase in the absorbed dose for both types of irradiation. It was established that acetone can be used as a potential marker of the fact of exposure of low-fat meat products to ionizing radiation.

Application of the fluorescent fingerprinting strategy for the verification of electron-beam and X-ray irradiation of potato tubers

“…Discrimination of tubers irradiated by The same dose of electron beam radiation can be more e cient than X-rays since it can destroy microorganisms more e ciently, as it was found in the study of irradiation of turkey meat 13 . Nevertheless, we explored the feasibility of discriminating between the X-ray doses absorbed by the potato samples.…”

“…2,b. The photon spectrum peaked at 9 keV which corresponds to characteristic radiation of copper, while the bremsstrahlung spectrum reached 26 keV 13 .…”

“…Сhanges in the concentrations of many volatile compounds in irradiated food samples containing fats can be determined using gas chromatography -mass-spectrometry technique (GC-MS). Decomposition of fatty acids decreases the concentration of alcohols, aldehydes, ketones and other organic compounds, which can be markers for chemical changes leading to taste, color, and smell deterioration 13,14 . GC-MS is a sophisticated technique that requires expensive instrumentation and skilled personnel.…”

Electron Beam Processing of Biological Objects and Materials

“…Irradiation to suppress microbial contamination in biological and non-biological objects requires a more complex approach since the desired effect is achieved with a precise combination of the absorbed dose, dose rate, and electron energy [37,38]. Moreover, the dose range for biological objects is commonly narrower compared with metals, minerals, and other non-organic objects due to their chemical complexity.…”

“…The ratio of the minimum value of absorbed dose D min to the maximum value of absorbed dose D max in the object volume is commonly used as a criterion of irradiation dose uniformity [1]. Different categories of biological objects, such as transplantology objects, pharmaceuticals, and food products, require uniformity of at least 80% [1,38]. Considering that achieving an irradiation uniformity of more than 80% for the objects with a mass thickness of more than 2 g/cm 2 is a challenging task, it is necessary to take into account such factors as packaging filling irregularity, as well as geometry, structure, chemical composition, and density of irradiated objects [15,43].…”