Radiation sterilization of gelatin with electron beam

The radiation sterilization of gelatin contaminated with 4 x 103 to 4 x 106 bacteria per gram was investigated with electron beam from a JJ-2 accelerator. After treatment with the doses of 3-4 kGy, the initial microbial counts in the gelatin could be approximately reduced by two orders of magnitude and the coliforms were substantively killed at the same time. The viscosities, transparencies and major gelatin compositions of the irradiated gelatin (with doses of 1.5-10 kGy) and the control sample were determined. The results show that the viscosity of the gelatin solution decreases gradually with the increase of the irradiation doses, the irradiation degradation of the gelatin molecules can not be decreased under the condition of nitrogen atomosphere of lower irradiation temperature, and the amino acid contents of the gelatin irradiated do not undergo any marked changes in comparison with the control sample except for cystine