The ionization of fishery products

Whereas the exposure of food products appears to be a promising method of food conservation, this book addresses the application of this technique to the specific case of fishery products. The author first presents some characteristics of sea products (composition of fish flesh, degradation, self-oxidation and microbial alterations of fishery products), presents the principle and backgrounds of food product ionisation (principle and interests, nature and production of ionising radiations, fundamental properties and action mode of these radiations). He precisely describes the effects of ionising radiations on fishery products: biological modifications (effects on enzymes, parasites, insects and micro-organisms, influencing factors, quantitative and qualitative modifications), biochemical modifications (action on proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and vitamins), organoleptic modifications (modifications of colour, odour, taste and texture, chemical and microbiological analysis). He discusses the harmlessness of ionised fishery products from technical (induced radioactivity), nutritional, microbiological and toxicological points of view. The second part addresses the industrial radio-conservation of fishery products by presenting the various treatments, by addressing the commercial feasibility (supply, transport conditions, economic and commercial benefits), and the economic feasibility (selection of ionisation industrial installations, assessment of ionising treatment costs, possibility of cost reduction, issue of the profitability). The last part proposes an overview of the present situation in terms of regulation and control (history, international, European and French regulations, ionisation control), and of level of industrial exploitation of the ionising treatment of fishery products (existing installations, exploitation level in different countries) and a brief discussion of perspectives from technological and commercial, economic (the profitability obstacle), psychological (attitude of consumers) and regulatory points of view.