<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>In this paper, we present the results of inter-comparison studies on identification of irradiated food carried out by the leading European laboratories from 1991 to 2018. In 1990s, the Federal Institute for Health Protection of Consumers and Veterinary Medicine in Germany played the leading role in the organization of the inter-laboratory tests on this subject. At the beginning of the present century, the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition and Food National Spanish Centre took over this role. In total, 47 international tests were carried out in which nearly 500 samples of alimentary products were analysed in 37 laboratories from 14 European countries. The tests were aimed at proving the reliability of analytical methods – thermoluminescence (TL), photostimulated luminescence (PSL), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy – for identification of specific irradiated food products and to control the analytical skills and experience of participating laboratories. The results made possible a discussion on why some irradiated food samples are more difficult for identification. In general, the tests showed that TL measurements of products such as herbs, nuts, peppers, and raisins, and EPR studies of fish and chicken bones, fresh strawberries, and dried fruits could be used as reliable control methods. The challenge that control laboratories are facing now, is related to the identification of complex food products such as diet supplements or biopharmaceuticals, in which only some additives are irradiated.</p>
</abstract>

In this paper, we present the results of inter-comparison studies on identification of irradiated food carried out by the leading European laboratories from 1991 to 2018. In 1990s, the Federal Institute for Health Protection of Consumers and Veterinary Medicine in Germany played the leading role in the organization of the inter-laboratory tests on this subject. At the beginning of the present century, the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition and Food National Spanish Centre took over this role. In total, 47 international tests were carried out in which nearly 500 samples of alimentary products were analysed in 37 laboratories from 14 European countries. The tests were aimed at proving the reliability of analytical methods – thermoluminescence (TL), photostimulated luminescence (PSL), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy – for identification of specific irradiated food products and to control the analytical skills and experience of participating laboratories. The results made possible a discussion on why some irradiated food samples are more difficult for identification. In general, the tests showed that TL measurements of products such as herbs, nuts, peppers, and raisins, and EPR studies of fish and chicken bones, fresh strawberries, and dried fruits could be used as reliable control methods. The challenge that control laboratories are facing now, is related to the identification of complex food products such as diet supplements or biopharmaceuticals, in which only some additives are irradiated.

European inter-comparison studies as a tool for perfecting irradiated food detection methods

Nukleonika

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

In this paper, we present the results of inter-comparison studies on identification of irradiated food carried out by the leading European laboratories from...

Name of sample	TL intensity (150–250°C)		Glow ratio A/B

	Glow A	Glow B
Hot peppers	107 664	2 446 361	0.437
Sweet peppers	8 271 517	9 420 144	0.878

European inter-comparison studies as a tool for perfecting irradiated food detection methods

Article Category: Original Paper

Published Online: Sep 17, 2021

Page range: 91 - 97

Received: Jan 21, 2021

Accepted: May 06, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/nuka-2021-0013

Keywords
Detection, Inter-comparison tests, EPR, Irradiated food, PSL, TL

© 2021 Grzegorz Piotr Guzik et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Results of the PSL (for hot peppers) and TL (for sweet peppers) examination of minerals isolated from the dried peppers

European inter-comparison studies as a tool for perfecting irradiated food detection methods

Article Category: Original Paper

Published Online: Sep 17, 2021

Page range: 91 - 97

Received: Jan 21, 2021

Accepted: May 06, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/nuka-2021-0013

KeywordsDetection, Inter-comparison tests, EPR, Irradiated food, PSL, TL

© 2021 Grzegorz Piotr Guzik et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Results of the PSL (for hot peppers) and TL (for sweet peppers) examination of minerals isolated from the dried peppers

Keywords
Detection, Inter-comparison tests, EPR, Irradiated food, PSL, TL