Food irradiation is a process in which food products are exposed to a controlled amount of radiant energy to kill harmful bacteria such as E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella. The process can also control insects and parasites, reduce spoilage and inhibit ripening and sprouting.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the irradiation of meat and poultry and allows its use for a variety of other foods, including fresh fruits, vegetables and spices.
E-beam and X-rays are electricity-based technologies which offers solutions to the Gamma industry issues such as supply, transport and disposal of Cobalt-60 sources.
Electricity is a common source of energy for the industry and is a safe choice for the future since it is widely available and increasingly made of renewable energies.
E-beam and X-rays are the best and most flexible alternatives to Cobalt and Methyl bromide for food treatment:
Pathogenic microorganisms cause millions of infections and thousands of hospitalizations every year. Irradiation will reduce, and in some circumstances eliminate, pathogenic microorganisms. Treating products at the maximum safe dose of irradiation set by regulations could result in a significant reduction or even the elimination of certain pathogens.
Today, health and safety authorities in over 40 countries have approved irradiation of over 60 different foods, including grains, chicken, beef, fruits, vegetables - and spices. The FDA has evaluated the safety of this technology over the last 40 years.
Compared to Gamma irradiation techniques, E-beam and X-ray offers shorter turnaround times, deeper penetration and is less harmful to foodstuff requiring a short exposure time.
| E-beam Boxes | X-ray Pallet | Gamma Pallet | Gamma Tote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dose Uniformity Ratio | Average | Excellent | Good | Excellent |
| Cost Efficiency | Excellent | Good | Good | |
| Dose Rate | Very High | Medium | Low | |
| Product Penetration | Low | Very High | High | |
| Labor Requirements | Labor Intensive | Labor Efficient | Labor Efficient | Labor Intensive |
| Power on Demand | Irradiation Stop Possible | Irradiation Stop not Possible | ||
| Source Energy | Electricity | Electricity | Cobalt 60 | |
| Market Adoption | Widely Adopted | New Technology | Widely Adopted | |
The IBA E-beam Phytosanitary solution is ideally suited for processing non packaged products.
eXelis® is offers the possibility to treat packaged food in boxes or on pallets
E-Beams have been successfully used to combat threats from foodborne diseases, control pest infestation of grains and extend the shelf life of products.
Electron beam for food treatment is a well established process today. Recent studies even suggests that E-beam food treatments are much more effective than Gamma treatments, as viruses are sensitive to E-beam radiations at a significantly lower level than with Cobalt 60
eXelis® configurations can be optimized to fit specific needs and expected volumes. You can start small and increase quickly the system capacity when needed.
Available eXelis® Configurations| eXelis®-M 300 | eXelis®-M 1000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Power | From 40 to 420 kW | From 100 to 700 kW |
| Maximum Throughput (m³/year) (ft³/year) |
From 11,000 to 93,000 From 310,000 to 3,200,000 |
From 22,000 to 155,000 From 770,000 to 5,400,000 |
| Gamma Equivalent | From 310kCi to 3.2 MCi | From 770kCi to 5.4 MCi |
Throughtput assumptions: 25kGy, 8,000 hours/year, 7 MeV, pallets, 0.15gr/cm³
Because of eXelis®' modular design, accelerator costs vary with purchased power. The cost of the X-ray generator in a facility can be compared with the initial Cobalt-60 loading of a gamma facility. The comparison must take into consideration exchange rate and Cobalt-60 cost but in general the cost of an X-ray generator becomes more economical from 2 MCi.
eXelis® can treat high volumes of food with excellent dose uniformity (1.6 for illustrated examples) and short pallet treatment time (1 to 5 minutes for fruits and 3 to 25 minutes for frozen sea food depending on eXelis® power)
Two side treatment - Optimized for low density products
| Density 0.3 at 5 and 7 MeV | Density 0.5 at 5 and 7 MeV | |
|---|---|---|
| DUR | 1,73 - 1,58 | |
| Throughput (Ton / year) | 119000 - 158000 |
Rotating treatment - Optimized for treating low and medium density products
| Density 0.3 at 5 and 7 MeV | Density 0.5 at 5 and 7 MeV | |
|---|---|---|
| DUR | 1,41 - 1,57 | 1,52 - 1,51 |
| Throughput (Ton / year) | 76500 - 95700 | 95700 - 141000 |
Figures simulated for 400 Gy min dose @ 50kW. Using more power increases the throughput without impacting the DUR. eXelis X-ray accelerators are available up to 700 kW
eXelis® is based on an incremental dose concept. Such an incremental treatment solution combined with a single row of pallets in front of the X-ray target offers a very high level of flexibility.
One increment consists of four passes of the pallet in front of the X-ray target (Pallet irradiated from the top and bottom, front and rear side). The increment dose is the minimum dose the product can receive. Any multiple of the increment dose can be given to the product by adding increments.
One increment = four passes
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