Muscat - Contrary to long-held misconceptions, food irradiation is helpful and necessary in extending the shelf-life of perishable foods, and does not harm the health of the consumer in any way, a top official of the Arab Atomic Energy Agency (AAEA) stressed yesterday. Speaking at the opening of the Food Safety and Traditional Foods Conference 2016 at Al Bustan Palace -- A Ritz Carlton Hotel, the Agency's Director-General, Dr Abdemajid al Mahjoub, described food irradiation as a process that exposes food to a controlled amount of energy called ionizing radiation.
Explaining the importance of the process he said: "Research has shown that food irradiation is safe and effective. It is used to prevent food poisoning by reducing the level of harmful bacteria in ground beef and Salmonella and Campylobacter in poultry; and parasites which cause food-borne disease. It prevents spoilage by destroying bacteria, molds and yeast which cause food to spoil, and control insect and parasite infestation. It also increases shelf life by slowing the ripening or sprouting in fresh fruits and vegetables, thereby allowing for longer shelf life.
It is possible for irradiated food to become contaminated after it has been treated. For this reason, proper storage, handling and cooking are very important," he stressed. The three-day conference began under the auspices of His Highness Sayyid Kamil bin Fahd al Said, Assistant Secretary-General for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Cabinet Affairs. It has been organised by the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, in collaboration with the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and concerned institutions. Dr Al Mahjoub said the misunderstanding over food irradiation appears to stem from its erroneous association with radioactive contamination of food.
The latter relates to foodstuff that has been exposed to radiation, say, from leaks from a nuclear plant, and so on - ingestion of which can be potentially harmful, he noted. A researcher from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries gave an overview of a mutation breeding programme targeting wheat and barley which was launched recently in Oman with the assistance of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Dr Al Ghaliya al Maamari said the project aims to develop new varieties of high yield and good quality wheat and barley under local environmental conditions using gamma rays. Worldwide, mutation breeding technology is one of the basic means of successful agriculture applications to provide food security and improve agriculture crops in terms of quantitative and qualitative traits, she said.
The conference, which is part of a week-long Food Safety Week, spotlights a number of topics related to food safety. Topics for discussion on the first day dealt with developments in microbial safety of food; Potential hazards associated with genetically modified foods; Mutation induction and biotechnologies for improving crops using gamma rays; and Regulations and policies to ensure safety of genetically modified food in North America. Today's sessions will focus on the following: Traditional foods: processing, marketing and regulations and traceability and food safety (novel techniques for authentication of halal and non-halal source of lipids using Omani frankincense resin; and the Impact of animal feed on livestock products and human health).
© Oman Daily Observer 2016
