Irradiation preservation is a new food preservation technology with huge domestic market space

Irradiation preservation is a preservation method that uses radiation energy to kill microorganisms in food and destroy its enzyme activity, maintain food quality to the maximum extent, and extend the shelf life of food. Radiation preservation generally uses gamma rays or electron beams generated by cobalt-60 and cesium-137 as radiation energy, which can be used to preserve poultry, meat, aquatic products, grains, fruits and vegetables, etc.

According to the “China’s Irradiation Preservation Market Feasibility Research Report 2022-2026” released by the Industrial Research Center, irradiation preservation can It can kill bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms in food to achieve the purpose of sterilization, insecticide and mildew prevention; it can inhibit the germination of tubers and bulbs and extend their storage time; it can delay the maturity of fruits and vegetables, achieve freshness and extend their shelf life. Irradiation preservation has the advantages of improving food quality, extending food shelf life, and reducing food storage and logistics losses. It has high processing efficiency, low energy consumption, and a wide range of applications, so it has become a new food preservation technology.

There are many types of food that can be processed by irradiation preservation, mainly including poultry meat and its products, aquatic products, wheat, rice, garlic, potatoes, ginger, mushrooms, carrots, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, edible fungi, chestnuts, Strawberries, grapes, spices, etc. However, not all foods are suitable for irradiation preservation, and the taste of some foods will change after irradiation. Radiation preservation requires food selection and strict control of ray energy to achieve preservation without destroying the nutrition and taste of the food.

Normally, the energy of cobalt-60 rays used for irradiation preservation is 1.32MeV or 1.17MeV, the energy of cesium-137 rays used is 0.66MeV, and the energy of low-energy electron beam irradiation is below 10MeV. There is no radioactive material residue in food that has been irradiated for preservation, and there is no chemical residue problem that exists in traditional chemical preservation methods. In the 1980s, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the World Health Organization fully affirmed the safety of irradiated food, and the development of the global irradiation preservation industry accelerated.

my country’s radiation preservation industry began to develop in the mid-1980s. Radiated food is included in the food eaten by astronauts after entering space. As a major agricultural country, our country has agricultural products produced in various places. Since most agricultural products have a short shelf life, and some agricultural products are concentrated on the market, our country has a vast territory and insufficient fresh-keeping technology. As a result, a large number of agricultural products are concentrated in the production areas and cannot be transported to other areas, resulting in an imbalance in the supply and demand of agricultural products. Balanced, price fluctuations are large. If irradiation preservation technology is applied in the field of agricultural product preservation, off-peak sales of agricultural products can be achieved.

In October 2020, my country’s first agricultural product origin electron beam irradiation preservation demonstration center was officially put into operation in Baise City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. This is a major poverty alleviation project of China General Nuclear Power Group’s science and technology industry. It will provide electronic products for agricultural products to farmers within a 200-kilometer radius around Baise. Beam irradiation preservation service. Industry analysts said that my country’s irradiation preservation industry has huge room for development, and the demand for irradiation preservation in overseas markets is also rising. It is expected that By 2030, the global food irradiation preservation market will reach about 2 billion yuan.