Food Pasteurization
Low doses of electrons are required for such applications as shelf-life extension and disinfestation of pests on fruits and vegetables. Medium doses will destroy pathogens that cause food-borne illnesses and high doses are used to process dried foods such as herbs and spices. The characteristics of the LINAC results in a front surface dose rate of approximately 3.75 kGy/second. With the process table capable of speeds between 1 and 60 feet per minute, the range of front surface dose to product moving through the beam is projected to be about 750 Gy to about 45 kGy, depending on the packaging and, to a lesser extent, the product density.
Throughput—the amount of product that can be processed by a food irradiation system—is dependent upon the system power and the dose required. The table on the following page summarizes the projected volume of product that can be processed in the proposed system.
Product |
Requirement |
Throughput (lbs. per hour)* |
Fresh ground beef and processed meat products |
Pathogen Reduction (e coli) |
72,000 |
Frozen ground beef |
Pathogen Reduction (e coli) |
52,000 |
Fresh or frozen de-boned chicken parts |
Pathogen Reduction (salmonella) |
38,000 |
Frozen seafood products |
Pathogen Reduction (salmonella) |
38,000 |
*Based on calculations. Actual throughput will depend on packaging.
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