186 New Opportunities of Radiation Processing in India
16:35 - 16:50 Tuesday 23 September | Global Trading 1: New Commercial Systems and Market Developments
A. K. Kohli
Radiation & Isotope Technology, Department of Atomic Energy, BRIT-BARC Vashi Complex, Sector 20, Vashi, Navi Mumbai -400 705
Email: cebrit@vsnl.net
Abstract
Radiation processing of food is in its infancy in India. Currently radiation processing of food is being carried out mostly for export purposes. Export markets also have not been fully exploited as yet and tremendous scope lies ahead. The products currently being treated by gamma radiation besides medical products are mainly spices and pet feed. India has 12 industrial scale gamma radiation processing plants and excepting two of these plants, all others are multipurpose and can carry out sterilization of medical products also. Because of better revenue generation potential from processing of medical products, these plants are carrying out very little food irradiation. The situation is now changing fast and more companies are coming forward to set up plants for food irradiation only. Last year after the approval from US government for irradiation of mangoes for quarantine treatment for exports from India, the environment has changed tremendously regarding.
Board of Radiation & Isotope Technology is the body which is facilitating setting up of gamma radiation processing plants in the country. It is also operating the only two dedicated plants for food irradiation .Its third plant is for sterilization of medical products. KRUSHAK irradiator was utilized last year for irradiation of mangoes for exports to USA. This year the plant at Navi Mumbai which is primarily for irradiation of medium dose food products like spices is being refurbished for irradiation of mangoes. Many more irradiation facilities are expected to come up in the near future. Since mango is available only for 3 months in a year and when mango irradiation takes place, no other product is permitted in the plant at that time upsets the economic utilization of the plant unless more products in the similar dose range are taken up. Considerable work has been done to identify new products that can be taken up for irradiation for remaining part of the year apart for food products for shelf life extension or food safety. Some of the products that may have good commercial potential include minimally processed food products, ready-to-eat & ready-to-cook meat products, cattle feed, dog chew, mehandi - a natural dye, cut flowers, natural polymers and other herbal products etc. Such products and continued emphasis on exports will result in many more food irradiation plants coming up in India in the near future.
Keywords: food irradiation, quarantine treatment, microbial load, and shelf life extension