FOOD irradiation is the latest technology for the preservation of food which offers unique benefits compared to that offered by the traditional preservation/sanitation techniques.

For agricultural commodities irradiation is highly potential to meet SPS requirements of developed countries. In Pakistan about 30-40 per cent agriculture produce is lost after harvest due to poor sanitation and lack of latest technologies as crops are exposed to the risk of food-borne diseases.

The food irradiation technology has emerged internationally as a solution to the post-harvest issues of agriculture in developed countries, which the developing countries are also trying to acquire to escape post-harvest losses.

The US is leading the world market in food irradiation with numerous facilities such as X-rays, electron beam and Gamma rays. In Asia, China is on top of the list with more than 100 facilities and 50 per cent of them are processing food and horticulture products.

In Iran, there are two food irradiation facilities processing horticulture products. India has seven irradiation facilities and four of them are exclusively processing food products.

Pakistan also signed a framework agreement in 2007 with the US department of agriculture to use the technology for phytosanitory purposes. Keeping in view, the potential of technology, the government has also approved food irradiation in 1996 but the technology has not been able to deliver its optimum benefits for agricultural crops due to lack of irradiation facilities.

Under an SRO, a wide variety of agricultural crops from fruits and vegetables to different herbs and spices are approved for irradiation in Pakistan.

Food irradiation can be highly beneficial for exporters of different food commodities which can not only improve the quality of food but also provide them with opportunities to enter into new markets of the world. Food irradiation may help exporters in resolving the following issues for different food commodities.

Senescence: fresh fruits and vegetables

Sprouting: potatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, yam, etc.

Insects’ infestation: fresh and dried fruits, nuts, cereals, etc.

Bacterial contamination: fruits, vegetables, cereals, spices

For similar reasons, food irradiation also outweighs all other traditional preservative techniques being practiced in Pakistan. Some of old used traditional preservation techniques are drying by using radiations from sun was most likely one of the first techniques developed for preserving fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, etc.

Heating to kill microbes and enhance its shelf-life, fermentation preservation by adding acid or alcohol to attain longer shelf life, salting and smoking also have long histories of use in food preservation. Later techniques include the use of preservatives with advantages and disadvantages of using food grade and other preservatives,

Heat pasteurisation advantages are mostly limited to milk, similarly freezing and refrigeration is also in practice widely both for liquids and solids but it has no effects on reducing microbial burden on commodities.

Under an international environmental treaty called the Montreal Protocol, the use of traditional chemicals like methyl bromide, ethylene di-bromide, ethylene di-chloride, ethylene oxide for fumigation of grains and other materials are being banned by various countries.

Ethylene di-bromide has been banned in the US and most other countries; ethylene oxide has been banned in the European Union and Japan. Methyl bromide (MB) and ethylene oxide (EtO) were earlier widely used for fumigating spices and food ingredients to reduce microbial contamination. However, the toxicity of EtO and its derivatives—especially ethylene-chlorohydrin, a carcinogen—led to imposing a ban on its usage by the European Union in 1991. Similarly, MB has very strong ozone depletion potential and therefore cannot be used.

Food irradiation presents an effective alternative to these traditionally used fumigants and pesticides, resulting in a reduction of chemical residues in food and preventing health hazards associated with the use of such agricultural products. Ban on use of these chemicals has led to a resurgence of interest in irradiation as a quarantine treatment. In addition, irradiation treatment also reduces the need for pesticides when crops are cultivated and stored afterward.

The food irradiation technology is internationally recognised phytosanitory measure not only limited to preservation but also significantly adding to the quality of agricultural commodities bringing it to global standards of quality for exporting purposes.

By improving quality of food technology, a wide range of benefits for different agriculture crops with a high potential to reduce post-harvest losses and to improve agricultural trade is attained. Benefits of food irradiation for agricultural commodities are summarised in brief as follows:

Extension of shelf-life: Irradiation can extend shelf-life of different produce by deactivating molds, killing spoilage organisms and by delaying ripening for fruits and vegetables. Therefore, irradiated commodities are kept fresh for longer periods of time. Moreover, by interfering with cell division, irradiation inhibits sprouting in tubers, bulbs, and root vegetables like potatoes and onions.

Plant Protection (Quarantine requirements): Irradiation treatment can be used to control different pests of perishable produce. Irradiation also controls different fruit flies and the USDA has therefore allowed Pakistan mango exports only if it is treated with irradiation.

Insect Infestation: The presence of live insects may be unacceptable to many countries, regardless of biological viability. So it is a serious threat to exports of different agriculture products if they are held at the port of entry while insect sterility is verified. Food irradiation eliminates insects without any residual effects.

Alternate to chemicals: As under the Montreal Protocol, the use of chemicals is being banned by various countries, agriculture produce is left with limited choice and irradiation presents an effective alternative to traditional fumigants and pesticides, resulting in reduction of chemical residues in food and preventing health hazards associated with the use of such agricultural commodities.

Food safety: Despite efforts to exercise good agricultural practices, raw foodstuffs may still become contaminated with pathogenic organisms, particularly in countries where food animals are not maintained in sanitary conditions, and where untreated waste and waste water is used for fertilisation and irrigation. This particularly holds good for developing countries like Pakistan where warm, humid climate is ideal for the growth and proliferation of pathogenic organisms.

The poor food handling practices further contribute to an increase in contamination and result in multiple food-borne diseases. Irradiation has the ability to destroy pathogenic (disease causing) organisms in agricultural produce without any residual effects.

Therefore, irradiation possess great potential to address trade and health issues of the country and it is required to pave the way for development of such irradiation facilities that can help our exporters generating revenues from the lucrative markets of the world.