Effects of Food Irradiation on Food

Food irradiation is a method which is applied to protect nutrients, increase quality and shelf life, and remove potentially harmful properties of food. Food irradiation technology is applied to foods such as eggs, meat products, spices, aquaculture and nuts. It is used for various purposes such as food preservation, prevention of foodborne diseases and infections, control and retardation of sprouting and maturation, insect and pest control and sterilization. Despite beneficial effects, when the appropriate dose and duration are not applied, some undesirable effects can also be observed in food irradiation. In order to clarify and confirm the beneficial and harmful effects of food irradiation, more research should be conducted in this area and consumers must be informed about it. In this study, it is aimed to explain the foods that are applied in food irradiation technology and some problems that may result in application.