A COMPREHENSIVE HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND ACCEPTANCE THE FOOD IRRADIATION TECHNIQUE

Food irradiation as a food preservation method has gained increasing prominence in recent decades. No other food processing method has been studied so thoroughly and for so many years as treating food with ionizing radiation. Moreover, when compared with different approaches developed in the past, none have had such high expectations, or such a high level of criticism as the food irradiation method. Although accepted in many countries and supported by a huge amount of scientific research from all domains of human health, there is still a great reluctance towards irradiated food. Since this method uses a special form of electromagnetic energy, consumers’ opinion is often burdened with the wrong perception that irradiated food is radioactive, has toxicological, genetic, mutagenic, or carcinogenic effects, and has reduced and deteriorated nutritional quality. Therefore, this paper aims to present a comprehensive historical overview of the development and acceptance of irradiation procedures by leading international institutions: FAO, IAEA, and WHO. Starting from the first concrete interest in food irradiation in 1896, it has taken many years for these institutions to reach a consensus on this issue, influencing strongly the attitude of national health authorities in different countries posed with numerous dilemmas and ambiguities. It can be concluded that although it was confirmed that any food treated with ionizing radiation with a maximum dose of 10 kGy is considered safe and beneficial, there are still significant gaps in terms of legislation, harmonization of regulations, and equivalence of standards, doses, and labeling of such foods. However, the World Health Organization’s Food Safety Unit has described food irradiation as possibly the most significant contribution to public health made by food science and technology since the pasteurization of milk.