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RADIATION PRESERVATION OF FOODS: SUBSTERILIZING APPLICATIONS
Author(s) -
GIDDINGS GEORGE G.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
journal of food safety
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.427
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1745-4565
pISSN - 0149-6085
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-4565.1983.tb00470.x
Subject(s) - volume (thermodynamics) , product (mathematics) , process engineering , radiation , irradiation , limiting , absorption (acoustics) , materials science , computer science , mathematics , mechanical engineering , composite material , optics , physics , thermodynamics , engineering , geometry , nuclear physics
Substerilization (or nonsterilization) food irradiation applications are a large, diverse and growing group that is typically classified according to dose levels or ranges, technical objectives, and to a lesser extent, according to commodity. Costing and pricing of service or contract radiation processing is determined ultimately by the singularly important variable, exposure time in the irradiator or the time needed to complete a run/load of product. This time is determined by two factors unique to radiation processing, the minimum required dose (energy absorption) and the bulk density of the product. Secondary influencing factors include the volume and regularity of processing of a given product, ease of pre‐ and post‐irradiation handling, and special handling requirements such as refrigerated or frozen temperatures. Since gamma irradiator cell capacity is fixed according to both volume and weight, although low bulk density product can be processed to a given dose more rapidly than high, the latter can have the price advantage on a weight basis because of greater weight processed per cell loading. A carrier or cell loading of very low bulk density product is likely to be limited by the volume maximum whereas for very high bulk density material the weight maximum is more likely to be limiting. The ideal target bulk density and dimensions are those which permit loading to the volume and weight maximums, thus providing maximum efficiency of process.