Use of irradiation to improve the safety and quality of prepared meals

Very limited data is available to indicate the effectiveness of irradiation to improve the microbiological safety, quality and shelf life of prepared meals, whether they are stored at ambient, chilled or frozen temperature. Irradiation has been successfully applied to various foods aimed at improving food safety and reducing food spoilage. Irradiation process, however, is not suitable for all products. Food high in fat develop off-odours and tastes due to accelerated development of rancidity, even at relatively low doses. High protein foods also undergo changes in flavour and odour after irradiation. These effects could be minimized by irradiating food at chilled or frozen temperatures. In 1997, a Study Group convened by the Joint FAO/IAEA/WHO discussed the safety and nutritional consequences of using high dose irradiation to treat foods. The Study group concluded that high dose irradiation, following both GMP and Good Irradiation Practices (GIP) could be applied to pre-packaged pre-cooked foods to make them shelf stable for extended periods. Irradiation, therefore, offers a potential to improve the microbiological safety and shelf life of chilled prepared meals