In addition to the usual methods for food preservation, the use of radiation isincreasingly widespread. The beginnings of radiation use date from the endof the 19th century, but more intensive application is noticed only after theSecond World War [1]. Most of the research was carried out to determinethe stability and food safety.Compared to the thermal sterilization, the radiation technique wasdeveloped later, and found less or limited application in the conservation offoods [2]. It should be noted that electromagnetic radiation is used not onlyfor the destruction of microorganisms, but also for: destruction of insects, culinary food processing (microwave ovens), slowing down certain biochemical activities (preventinggermination) improving certain technological parameters of some foods(improving the rehydration of dried fruits and vegetables).The radiation of a short wavelength (approximately 30 nm) is characterizedby high energy, so it has a pronounced mutagenic and lethal effect. Thisradiation acts in two ways, either directly with nucleic acids or by formingthe very reactive radicals that can react easily with various organiccompounds, making them unavailable to microorganisms. Free radicals areionized molecules - most commonly water molecules.Besides electromagnetic radiation (X - rays, gamma rays and cosmic rays),alpha and beta - (corpuscular) radiation can also perform ionization ofmolecules. By using ionizing radiation, only a small part of the energy istransformed into heat. Compared to thermal sterilization, this amounts toless than 2%, i.e. the temperature of the food does not rise more than 2 ° C,which is why this treatment is called cold sterilization.6th Workshop Specific Methods for Food Safety and Quality : September 27th, 2018, Belgrade.
Within 14th International Conference on Fundamental and Applied Aspects of Physical Chemistr
