Development of identification method with high sensitivity for irradiated food

Existing identification methods for irradiation treatment reveal low sensitivity or low efficiency due to a long analysis time of two days. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a new identification method that satisfies both speed and snesitivity.In this study, SPME-GC/MS analysis method was selected through comparison of candidate analysis methods, 1,7-hexadecadiene was selected as the most efficient discriminant marker for this analysis equipment, and the analysis condition was optimized through response surface methodology. Afterwards, it was confirmed that the marker can be determined during the one-year storage period at room temperature. Quality assurance parameters of the method such as LOD, LOQ, accuracy were established. Moreover, samples irradiated at more than 0.1 kGy with various radiation types were correctly identified as irradiated by the method within three hours. The excellence of the method was reconfirmed through comparative experiments with existing identification methods and an inter-laboratory blind verification experiment with Nongshim Co., Ltd. A petition was submitted to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for the revision of Korea Food Code, and it is expected that the revision will contribute to reducing quality management costs on irradiated food for food producers and establishing distribution order of irradiated food