The irradiation of food is a technique used to preserve fresh food like fruit, vegetables and meat. The most widely used form of irradiation is with by bombarding the food with gamma rays from Cobalt-60

... Physics IB Irradiation of Food The irradiation of food is a technique used to preserve fresh food like fruit, vegetables and meat. The most widely used form of irradiation is with by bombarding the food with gamma rays from Cobalt-60. Through radiation the growth of living cells is suspended or the cells are destroyed as it uniformly inactivates the DNA of unwanted micro-organisms. Irradiation has been used for commercial use since 1989. A question that has arose from the actions of food irradiation is, is irradiated food safe to eat? Through research it has been found that irradiated food is harmful to humans. Apart from negative effects on the body, there is also the environmental impacts that affect humans. Ingesting radioactive material is very harmful, with no exception of irradiated food. Irradiation breaks up the chemical bonds in food, these bonds recombine into new chemical compounds called radiolytic products known to be

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