Irradiation technology for grain packaging

1. Irradiation characteristics Food storage is very important for both agricultural producers and ordinary consumers. According to the statistics of the United Nations, there are thousands of tons of tons of food in the world every year. Even billions of tons of food have been lost in storage due to pests and bacteria, causing tremendous human suffering and famine. The quality of agricultural products can be improved in the production process, but more importantly, it is guaranteed and improved in packaging and storage. Therefore, atomic technology was first applied in the agricultural product field, bringing great benefits to human society and the national economy.
40 years ago, the Soviet Union, the United States, France and other countries began to study the use of ionizing radiation treatment of various foods, including agricultural products, and developed a packaging and storage process. Practice has proved that ionizing radiation is used for food packaging, and its storage effect is obvious; it is technically feasible and economical, and of course it is also safe for humans.
Studies have shown that Y-rays are highly effective in suppressing the life activities of bacteria, bacteria and many microorganisms, and can preserve the original quality, flavor and nutritional value of foods. Ionizing radiation is mainly used for packaging and storage of the following agricultural products:
(1) potatoes, onion foods, inhibition of germination and deterioration, irradiation dose of 200-1000GY;
(2) Packaged foods, dried fruits, nuts, and other foods, inhibiting the pests from their life activities, dose 200-1000Gy;
(3) Preservation of vegetables;
(4) The antiseptic preservation of agricultural products (such as potato), irradiation with a dose of 10 kGy or more, combined with other methods such as warming can completely eliminate the microorganisms.
2. Irradiation Application and Benefits Atomic technology can be used for atomic bombs, which are the most lethal weapons, and can also serve humans peacefully. For example, nuclear power plants, pest control, and crop yield improvement are also examples of food packaging. . In the United States, France, Canada, Japan, the Soviet Union and many other countries, some irradiated food products have been approved by relevant agencies for human consumption. Experience gained from the use of ionizing radiation to prevent the bio-decay of agricultural products shows that in many cases, this new process can be transferred to large-scale industrial production.
The practice in the Soviet Union has shown that the labor cost of irradiating a ton of potatoes is 20% lower than that of spraying powdered products, and the labor productivity is increased by 1.5 times. If the Y-irradiation device has a seasonal production capacity of 25,000 tons of potatoes, the investment cost can be compensated in 4 years, and the annual economic benefit is over 120,000 rubles, and the cost of irradiating 1 kilogram of potatoes is only 0.2 kopecks. In Italy, when the factory has a processing capacity of 30,000 tons of potatoes per year, the radiation treatment cost of these products is 2.5% of the price of the product.
In Japan, where the annual production capacity is 21,000 tons, the cost of radiation treatment of potatoes is 2.6% of the product cost. The Netherlands successfully irradiates many agricultural products. When the annual production capacity is 20,000 tons, irradiation with a dose of 40 Gray is advantageous. Economists believe that when the processing cost of products is below 10%, it is economically feasible.
Before the radiation process and equipment can be operated, the agricultural products can be put into the packaging box or packaging container, and then irradiated, which is very convenient, safe and reliable. For example, the Soviet Union placed potatoes in a 90×90×90 cm box and irradiated it. The average production capacity was 3 tons per hour. The radioactive activity of the radiation source was about 140×1010 Bq, and a small cobalt-60 radiation source.
Looking at the Y irradiation device of Canadian Irradiated Potatoes, the radiation source was made into a hollow cylindrical shape. This device has no protective wall, allowing the source's radioactive activity to be increased to 222×1014 Bq, and mounted at 132×106×102. The potatoes in the centimeter box are sent along the roller conveyor to the radiation chamber via the tunnel population, and then sent to the device that moves relative to the source according to a prescribed procedure. In order to increase the utilization factor of the radiation and to improve the uniformity of irradiation, the packaging box not only moves around the radiation source but also moves along its own axis so that all surfaces of the packaging are exposed. The entire process is fully automated.
Irradiation process and equipment Y-irradiation device in Hokkaido, Japan, is different from the above and it is circular. From 1973 to now, the radiation source is drilled at -60, and the activity is 111×104 Bq. It is packed in a 100×160×130 cm crates. The potato inside is transported along a conveyor to a dedicated circular conveyor, moves relative to the radiation source along a circumference 2.5 meters in radius, is irradiated by a given dose, and is then transported through the tunnel exit to the warehouse using a conveyor.