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Determination of hydrogen in irradiated frozen chicken
Author(s) -
Hitchcock Christopher H S
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.2740680310
Subject(s) - hydrogen , irradiation , food irradiation , analyser , chemistry , radiochemistry , chromatography , organic chemistry , nuclear physics , physics
A headspace analyser based on a hydrogen‐specific electronic sensor has been developed and applied to the determination of hydrogen in ice and in frozen chicken. The loss of hydrogen during storage of samples at — 18°C has been monitored; it has been demonstrated that the hydrogen generated during the irradiation of frozen chicken at 5 kGy can be determined for up to at least 6 months. It is concluded that hydrogen is a promising marker for distinguishing between irradiated and unirradiated frozen food; it could provide a rapid screening test, complementing other chemical, physical and microbiological procedures. Positive detection of hydrogen provides conclusive evidence of irradiation; however, no definite conclusions can be drawn from a failure to detect hydrogen.