Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 25 / Trend, N. Umid
Iran will inaugurate a gamma irradiation system for agricultural products in the Eastern Azerbaijan province of the city of Bonab until the end of the current solar year (ending March 21, 2014), head of the Centre for Macro Projects of the Iranian presidential administration Qholamhuseyn Rahimi said, IRNA news agency reported.
For the time being, agricultural products should be kept in the fridge in order to maintain consistency which imposes additional costs, Rahimi said, adding that irradiation increases the survival period of the agricultural crops at a lesser cost.
He went on to note that the first phase of the project is being developed and implemented by the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran and the second phase will be developed by the private sector.
Food irradiation is the process of treating food with a specific dosage of ionizing radiation. This treatment slows or halts spoilage by retarding the enzymic action or destroying microorganisms and it can also inactivate foodborne pathogenic organisms thereby reducing the risk of food borne illness.
Further applications include sprout inhibition, delay of ripening and increase of juice yield and improvement of re-hydration. Irradiation is also used to prevent the spread of invasive insect species that could be associated with fresh produce for example fruit fly pests.