Talk about novel radiation packaging technology (3)

Food Packaging Irradiation Technology The storage of meat foods is also the most troublesome thing for human beings. It has been a struggle for thousands of years. Until the 1970s, the new ionizing radiation packaging and storage method was mentioned on the agenda. 1. Irradiation Process Ionization Rays Many countries have conducted large-scale research and experiments on the physical and chemical and biochemical changes of microorganisms in meat and various meat products, as well as the biological value and safety of irradiated products. Based on the establishment of a scientific basis for the processing and preservation of packaged meat products.
There are mainly two methods for the irradiation processing of meat foods, and the selective sterilization and irradiation of irradiation are completely sterilized. Selective sterilization is radiation-based pasteurization, which involves the irradiation of meat and meat products with relatively small doses (approximately 0.2-0.6 million Gy), resulting in a significant decrease in the amount of microorganisms in the splices. Suppressed but not completely destroyed. Radiation-selective sterilization can extend the shelf life of meat and its products by 2-4 times at -5°C (equivalent to the temperature of a domestic refrigerator).
Irradiation is completely sterilized by radiation irradiation with a large irradiation dose (3 to 50KGy) in order to substantially eliminate microorganisms and create conditions for the long-term packaging and storage of meat products. The process of completely sterilizing irradiated fresh meat is complicated. In order to eliminate the adverse consequences of radiation treatment, it is necessary to inject epinephrine prior to animal slaughter. After slaughter, irradiation is performed at -7°C with a dose of 30,000 Gy and then The irradiated fresh meat sealed in a Plastic Bag was left at 4°C for 24 hours. After this treatment, even if stored at 20°C for half a year, the natural properties of fresh meat can be maintained.
The irradiation sterilization process is also used for canned meat products. Studies have shown that canned ham, pork, beef, chicken, breast meat and other canned foods that have been fully sterilized by irradiation for a long time are superior to heat-sterilized cans in their color and flavor.
Irradiation used for meat food packaging has the following advantages: (1) prolongs the shelf life of meat foods and increases the shelf life; (2) can adopt new types of packaging and directly irradiate the packaging products; (3) product characteristics can be maintained for a long time Undamaged, no chemical carcinogen residues; (4) the production process can be automated; (5) have good social and technical and economic benefits; (6) with health and safety. 2. Safety of Irradiated Foods For humans, food safety is of utmost importance. Soviet studies have shown that in a low vacuum (5300-8000Pa) environment, beef and pork semi-finished products packed in polymer bags and irradiated with Y-rays at doses of 0.4 and 0.6 million Gy can be separated at 3 to 5°C. Save 40 and 60 days. After surface heat treatment combined with selective irradiation sterilization, the shelf life of meat products at 5°C to 20°C can be extended to 5 months. With a dose of 0.4-0.6 million Gy, the shelf life of the chickens opened can be extended from 10 days to 34 days at 1°C. The use of vacuum packaging in combination with various salt mixtures can reduce the dose of irradiation to 0.45 Gy without shortening the shelf life of the chicken. Studies in the United States have shown that open chickens housed in transport packaging containers can be stored at 0-2°C for 14-18 days, directly irradiating 0.23 million Gray. The Bulgarian study showed that treatment of open broiler chickens with an irradiation dose of 0.5 thousand georgies can prevent the product from being infected by certain salmonella organisms, and that it still meets hygienic requirements when stored at 0°C for 15 days. According to tests conducted in Germany, radiation treatment with a dose of 0.8 million Gyrus can eliminate salmonella from frozen chickens and greatly improve the quality of products.
Comprehensive use of heating and irradiation methods to process packaged meat products can greatly improve the performance of semi-finished products against microbial spoilage, enabling them to be stored at 4 to 5°C for more than six months. The technological process is: (1) baking raw semi-finished products into finished products in an infrared oven; (2) vacuum packaging the finished products with a composite plastic bag; (3) irradiating meat packaging bags with Y rays having a dose of 0.8 million Gyre. 4. Irradiation technology for fresh-keeping packaging For perishable fruits and vegetables, the storage period is extended by 3 weeks or even several days. The social and economic benefits are considerable. Therefore, fresh-keeping packaging has always been an important packaging topic. To this end, the scientists conducted a study to use low-dose irradiation (1000-3000 Gy) to meet the preservation requirements of fruits and vegetables. Although irradiation with such doses does not completely inhibit the life activities of the microbial communities, perishable vegetables and fruits (strawberries, raspberries, European sweet cherries, sour cherries, apricots, peaches, red tomatoes, etc.) are very effective. .
After the vegetables and fruits were irradiated with the prescribed dose, the storage period at room temperature was significantly prolonged due to the suppression of microbial communities and the inhibition of the maturation process. For example, tomatoes irradiated with Y-rays at a dose of 4000 Gy can store 30 days and nights at 18°C. Unpreserved pink tomatoes irradiated with 1500 and 3000 Gray, the storage period is greatly extended. Even after the perishable ripe mangoes are irradiated with 300 Gy, they can be extended for storage at 35-38°C for 7 days. This method is also effective for strawberries, papayas and bananas. 5. Other applications of irradiation technology For ordinary people, novel and unfamiliar irradiation technology is also used for all aspects of packaging and for the regeneration of packaging materials. Due to limited space, the following brief introductions are as follows: Quality packaging for dried fragrant fruit products; Quality packaging for spices and spices; Packaging for cosmetics and skin care products; Packaging for aseptic packaging of traditional Chinese medicines and medicines and devices; Bacterial packaging; acetosan treatment of packaging materials; grafting of polymer packaging materials; cross-linking of polymer packaging materials; recycling of packaging waste plastics; irradiation treatment of packaging wastes, etc.
Studies made abroad on irradiated foods over the years have shown that the use of the above irradiation doses during treatment is harmless to humans, and can also ensure the original flavor and high nutritional value of products, and has made a new development for food packaging. contribution.
Since the Joint Expert Committee of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the International Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the “safety of irradiated foods” in 1980, there has been a rapid development of radiation-packed foods. Research shows that as long as the irradiation dose does not exceed 10,000 Gy. No adverse effects on any food, people's safety can be guaranteed.
In summary, irradiation packaging, especially irradiated food packaging, is reliable and scientific as long as it complies with national regulations, such as the "Rated Food Hygiene Management Regulations," and the effect is better than heat sterilization, frozen food, etc. Relevant departments in our country must also strengthen management and strictly control the high-tech packaging technology to better serve the people. China Packaging News