Study on Application of the Physical Detection Methods for Electron Beam-Irradiated Agricultural Products

전자선 조사된 농산물의 물리적 검지 방법의 적용에 관한 연구

Physical detection methods, photostimulated luminescence (PSL), thermoluminescence (TL) and electron spin resonance (ESR) were applied to detect electron beam-irradiated agricultural products, such as red pepper, black pepper, raisin, walnut, beef seasoning and pistachio. The absorbed irradiation doses for representative samples were controled at 0, 1, 3, 5 and 10 kGy. PSL values for non-irradiated samples were <700 counts/60s (lower threshold, $T_1$) except beef seasoning, whereas those of irradiated samples were more than 5,000 photon counts, upper threshold ($T_2$) in black pepper, raisin, and beef seasoning and intermediates values of $T_1-T_2$ in red pepper, walnut, and pistachio. Minerals seperated from the samples for TL measurement showed that non-irradiated samples except pistachio (TL ratio, 0.12) were characterized by no glow curves situated at temperature range of $50{\sim}400^{\circ}C$ with TL ratio (0.01~0.08), while irradiated samples except pistachio at only 1 kGy (TL ratio, 0.08) indicated glow curve at about $150{\sim}250^{\circ}C$ with TL ratio (0.28~3.10). ESR measurements of irradiated samples showed any specific signals to irradiation. The samples of both red pepper and pistachio were produced specific signals derived from cellulose radicals as well as single line signals for black pepper and walnut, and multiple signals derived from crystalline sugar radicals for raisin and beef seasoning. In conclusion, The ESR methods can apply for detection of pistachio exposed to electron beam but PSL and TL are not suitable methods. Furthermore, TL and ESR suggeted that both techniques were more useful detection method than PSL to confirm whether red pepper, walnut and beef seasoning samples have been exposed to electron beam.