Detection of irradiation treatment in foods

Abstract The major radiolytic hydrocarbons resulting from specific cleavage of fatty acids can be used as indicators of irradiation in foods. Experiments with pork ground meat indicate that these compounds are present in samples irradiated at doses as low as 0.1 megarad but absent in unirradiated or heated samples. The major radiolytic hydrocarbons reflect the severity of the irradiation treatment, since their production increases linearly with dose and temperature of irradiation. The presence of moisture or air during the irradiation treatment does not significantly alter the radiolytic pattern