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IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing Food Irradiation in China Hao Chen Sichuan Institute of Atomic Energy, China
IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing
Food Irradiation in China
Hao Chen
Sichuan Institute of Atomic Energy, China
IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing
Outline
• Current facilities for food irradiation in China
• Commercial application of food irradiation in China
• Development of regulations and policies for food
irradiation in China
• Current situation of food irradiation in Chinese
market
• Suggestions and prospect
IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing
China began its research about food irradiation in 1958
More than 200 60Co irradiators and 6 EB accelerators
have been built for commercial application in China in 2009
Over 100 irradiators designed capacities more than 300,000Ci
Over 44 irradiators designed capacities more than 1,000,000Ci
Current facilities for food irradiation in China
IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing
Over 80 facilities irradiate food across China
IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing
Easily on/off
High efficiency
No handling of radioactive material
Do not require replenishment of the source
Growth of EB accelerators for food irradiation
IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing
Commercial application of food irradiation
in China
Applications of food irradiation in China
Decontamination of spices
Disinfestation of grains and beans
Disinfestation of dry fruits
Decontamination of raw meat
Decontamination of fishery products
Decontamination of cooked meat
Sprout inhibitation
IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing
Quantities of food irradiated in China
IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing
Estimated values of food and irradiated food outputs
IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing
2005
China accounts for half of all food irradiated
in the world
IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing
Fermented spicy chicken feet, wings and dried tofu are typically
Chinese delicacy
Irradiated to prolong the shelf-life and maintain the quality
Total in 2012: over 400,000 tons
Commercial application of food irradiation
in China
IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing
1984 – 1994: 18 irradiated food hygiene standards published
1996: “Measures for the administration of irradiation food”
published
Development of regulations and policies for
food irradiation in China
December 2001: Irradiation process standards for 17 kinds of
foods
2006: 3 industry-specific standards published – 1 verified and
approved by the Ministry of Agriculture
IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing
National standards for hygiene of irradiated food Food Dose (kGy) National standard Product
Poultry, Livestock, cooked 8 max GB 14891.1-1997 Pork, Beef, Chicken, Duck
Pollen 8 max GB 14891.2-1994
Corn, Buckwheat, Sorghum,
Sesame, Rape, Sunflower,
Astragalus (pure, mixed)
Dried Nuts, Preserved
fruits 0.4- 1 GB 14891.3-1997
Peanut kernel, Longan,
Hollow lotus, Walnut, Raw
almonds, Red dates,
Preserved fruit, peach,
apricot, hawthorn, and others
Spices, dried 10 max GB 14891.4-1997 All spices
Fruits, Vegetables, fresh 1.5 max GB 14891.5-1997
17 Categories, tomatoes,
onions, potatoes, apples, and
others.
Pork 0.65 max GB 14891.6-1997 Pork, fresh
Poultry, Livestock, frozen
& packaged 2.5 max GB 14891.7-1997
Pork, Beef, Chicken, Duck,
pre-packaged
Beans and products 0.2 max GB 14891.8-1997
Beans and products
Cereals and products 0.4- 0.6 Cereals and products
Sweetpotato wine 4 max GB 14891.9-1997 Sweetpotato wine
Development of regulations and policies for
food irradiation in China
IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing
National standards Products
GB/T 18524-2001 General requirements for food irradiation
GB/T 18525.1-2001 Beans
GB/T 18525.2-2001 Cereal
GB/T 18525.3-2001 Jujube
GB/T 18525.4-2001 Wolfberry and raisin
GB/T 18525.5-2001 Dry black mushroom (Lentinus edodes)
GB/T 18525.6-2001 Dry longan
GB/T 18525.7-2001 Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.)
Griseb
GB/T 18526.1-2001 Soluble instant tea powder
GB/T 18526.2-2001 Pollen
GB/T 18526.3-2001 Dehydrated vegetables
GB/T 18526.4-2001 Spices and seasonings
GB/T 18526.5-2001 Livestock and poultry meat
GB/T 18526.6-2001 Pickled meat
GB/T 18526.7-2001 Chilled packaged pork cuts
GB/T 18527.1-2001 Apple
GB/T 18527.2-2001 Garlic
Irradiation process standards of food irradiation
Development of regulations and policies for
food irradiation in China
IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing
Issues with food irradiation in China
Demand for irradiation of food rapisdly increasing but
:
National standards and regulations not always complied with, e.g. re-
irradiation
Illegal competitions for business purposes
Unsoundness of some polices and regulations
Relatively few types of irradiated food
Relatively low level of public acceptance
IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing
Suggestions and prospect
• Establish or revise national standards to avoid
barriers, illegal competitions and to facilitate the
applications of food irradiation in China
Suggestions:
IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing
Standards being revised to harmonise 8 standards into one
hygienic standard
Ministry of Public Health approved a project to test
samples of food to detect if they were irradiated or not,
and organized workshops on detection of irradiated foods
on May 15, 2010.
Suggestions and prospect
Some activities by government:
IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing
Build bigger Co-60 facilities over 4 million Ci
Shorten the irradiation time and make it possible to treat frozen
foods, ect
Accelerate the implementation of high energy EB
accelerators in food irradiation in China
Perform researches on quality assurance and new food
products which is suitable for EB irradiation
Increase public acceptance of irradiated food
Suggestions and prospect
Suggestions:
IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing
Suggestions and prospect
Potential application of irradiation in China
Ready to eat foods
Ready to cook foods
Emergence foods
Military foods
Space foods
Patient foods
Functional foods
Prospect:
IRRADIATION FOR LIFE: Safe, Green and Growing
