• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.788-792
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• 2009

Gamma $({\gamma})-irradiation$ can be used to control pathogens such as Vibrio vulnificus in seafood. The effects of irradiation on microbial cell populations (%) have been studied in order to develop detection methods for irradiated foods. The method used in this study was ethidium bromide monoazide (EMA) real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using V. vulnificus specific primer, EMA, and $SYBR^{(R)}$ Green to discriminate between ${\gamma}-irradiated$ and non-irradiated cells. Confocal microscope examination showed that ${\gamma}-irradiation$ damaged portions of the cell membrane, allowing EMA to penetrate cells of irradidated V. vulnificus. ${\gamma}-Irradiation$ at 1.08 KGy resulted in log reduction ($-1.15{\pm}0.13$ log reduction) in genomic targets derived from EMA real-time PCR. The combination cold/heat shock resulted in the highest ($-1.74{\pm}0.1$ log reduction) discrimination of dead irradiated V. vulnificus by EMA real-time PCR.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.150-153
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• 2007

Hydrocarbons have been successfully used as a chemical marker in order to identify irradiated from non-irradiated foods. The method for determining hydrocarbons consists of extraction of fats, followed by separation of hydrocarbons by florisil column chromatography, and then identification of hydrocarbons by GC/MS. Currently, solvent extraction method for fats has certain limitations with regard to extraction time and solvent consumption. Commercial hams and sausage were irradiated at 0 and 5 kGy, and the efficiency of microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and conventional solvent extraction (CSE) methods on the extraction of radiation-induced hydrocarbons from the meat products was compared. Significant levels of hydrocarbons, mainly composed of 1,7-hexadecadien, 1,7,10-hexadecatriene, and 6,9-heptadecadiene, were detected in the extracts from irradiated hams and sausages by both CSE and MAE methods. Both methods were acceptable in extracting hydrocarbons from samples, but MAE method required apparently reduced amounts of solvent from 150 (CSE) to 50 mL and reduced extraction time from 23 (CSE) to 5 min.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.39 no.7
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• pp.599-609
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• 2006

In this study, we investigated the in vivo effect by intake of the irradiated foods such as mackerel and sesame seed which are high in unsaturated fatty acid through TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive subtance) and the tissue pathological and genotoxicological test. Thirty two ICR mice are divided into four groups, one non-irradiated (control) group and three irradiated (5, 10, 20 kGy, respectively) groups. Sesame seed and pulverized mackerel in modified AIN93M diet were mixed together then divided into four identical parts. Three parts of them were irradiated by doses of 5, 10, and 20 kGy. These experimental diet were fed to each group for 4, 8 and] 6 weeks. The results of the study were as follows: No significant differences in weight gain were found in each group. Peroxide value of the irradiated diet was higher than that of the non-radiated one and also increased according to the storage period. TBA values in plasma, liver, kidney and Peyer's patch were not significantly different among 4 groups. DNA% in tail, tail length (TL) and tail moment (TM) values of the blood lymphocyte in 4, 8 and 16 week groups and the liver in 16 week group were much measured over the control DNA % in tail of kidney of 8 week group was significantly than the control and TL and TM of 8 week and TM of 16 week groups showed a tendency of higher values. By Peyer's DNA % in tail of 8 week group, DNA % in tail and TM of 16 week groups increased significantly over the control, Ultrastructural examination shows myeline figures and swollen mitochondria in parietal cells and intestinal epithelial cells of 8 and 16 weeks groups. After this study, we need further investigations on the safety of highly consumed foods which contain high contents of unsaturated fatty acid, largely imported and which are possible to be irradiated.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.396-399
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• 2002

Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy was used to investigate the effect of irradiation dose and storage time on the free radical concentrations in gamma-irradiated sesame (Korean and Sudan) and perilla seeds (Korea). The samples were sealed with packed pyrex tube (50 g respectively) and then irradiated with doses of 0, 1, 5 and 10 kGy at room temperature using a Co-60 irradiator. Each sample in ESR quartz tube were calculated with ESR signals by Bruker-EPR spectrometer for 4 weeks. Free radicals detected for irradiated and unirradiated samples were higher than those of unirradiated ones. Since the free radical concentrations linearly incresed with the applied doses $(1{\sim}10\;kGy)$, highly positive correlation coefficients $(R^2=0.9926{\sim}0.9994)$ were obtained between irradiation doses and free radical concentrations right after irradiation. Although the free radical concentrations decreased with storage time, the signals of free radical in irradiated samples were observed even after 4 weeks of storage at room temperature.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.160-174
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• 1997

Progress in commercialization of the irradiation process, greater international trade in irradiated food, differing regulations relating to use of the technology in many countries, and consumer demand for clear labeling of irradiated food highlighted the need for tests that could be applied to the food itself. Scientists have had to focus on identifying and isolating the minute changes caused in the component food molecules by the process. A number of investigators have reviewed the changes occurring in food after irradiation, detecting and measuring the effects of irradiation. The Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture organised a coordinated program on analytical detection methods in irradiation treatment of food (ADMIT) which promoted cooperation in this area and sponsored collaborative testing of some of the most promising methods.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.138-146
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• 2007

Food irradiation has been steadily increased in many countries concomitantly with increasing international trades. Harmful contaminants naturally occurred from foods which contain high levels of unsaturated fatty acids that are easily oxidized can affect the human anti-oxidation system through the generation of free radicals. Moreover, previous studies proved that ${\gamma}$-irradiation may cause production of free radicals in food. We investigated the effect of ${\gamma}$-irradiated soybeans in relation to oxidative stress in mice. Oxidative index of mice was evaluated by TBARS, DNA fragmentation in various organs such as blood lymphocytes, liver and kidney. Forty male ICR mice were equally divided into 4 groups and fed control diet or ${\gamma}$-irradiated diet containing 50% soybeans (5, 10, and 20 kGy, respectively) for 8 weeks. Peroxide values of the irradiated diets were higher than that of the non-irradiated one and increased according to the storage period. There was no significant difference in weight gain as well as in TBARS value in plasma and kidney of all groups. Liver TBARS value of the group fed with irradiated diet at 20 kGy increased significantly compared with the control group (p < 0.05). DNA oxidative damage as measured by alkaline comet assay showed that % tail DNA in the blood lymphocytes of 5 kGy and 10 kGy groups increased significantly over the control group (p < 0.05). Also, tail moments of 5 kGy and 10 kGy groups were higher than that of the control group. Ultrastructural examination shows myeline figures and swollen mitochondria in parietal and intestinal epithelial cells of the group fed with irradiated diet. Therefore, considering unsaturated fatty acid content, consumption of soybeans ${\gamma}$-irradiated with over 20 kGy or repeatedly may decrease the body's antioxidant mechanism.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.134-139
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• 2000

Angelica gigas Nakai (danggui) is a popular herb which has been used as a blood-building decoction for recovery from weakness in the Chinese medicine. Its demand increased in functional foods and pharmaceutical industries. For its hygiene, fumigation has been used, but the use of fumigants are going to be prohibited for food processing. In order to investigate gamma irradiation technique for hygiene of danggui, the immunomodulation activity of danggui after irradiation was examined. The water extract of irradiated danggui showed a strong mitogenic effect on splenocytes in vitro to the same level of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA). The effect was not different from that of non-danggui. It was tested whether there was any difference between irradiated and non-irradiated danggui in effects on the secretion of antibodies and graft versus host reaction in vivo. It turned out that intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of the extract of irradiated danggui for 4 days remarkably increased the number of antibody-secreting cells in mice injected with sheep red blood cells (SRBC). Splenomegaly, due to graft versus host reacton, was also increased after 7 days i.p. administration of the extract of danggui in mice injected with allogeneic splenocytes. In these two in vivo test, the effect were not different from those of non-irradiated danggui. These results indicated that immunomodulation activity of danggui might be preserved after irradiation. In the other experiments (data not shown), the irradiated danggui was stable in active component analysis and safe in genetic toxicity test. In further research, the stability in other physiological activity of irradiated danggui will have to be proved before practical application of irradiation for hygiene.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.251-258
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• 2004

The changes in DNA damage were investigated during storage after irradiation. Potato, garlic were irradiated at 0.05, 0.07, 0.1 and 0.15 kGy and stored for 3 months. Ginger was irradiated at 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04 and 0.05 kGy and stored for 1 month. The comet assay was applied to the sample immediately after irradiation and at the end of storage. Samples were isolated, grounded and the suspended cells were embedded in an agarose layer. After lysis of the cells, they were electrophoresed for 1 min. and then stained. DNA fragmentation in seeds caused by irradiation was quantified as tail length and tail moment (tail length ${\times}%$ DNA in tail) by comet image analyzing system. Right after irradiation, the differences in tail length between unirradiated and irradiated samples were significant(p<0.05) in potato, garlic and ginger. With increasing the irradiation doses, statistically significant longer extension of the DNA from the nucleus toward anode was observed. The results represented as tail moment showed similar tendency to those of tail length. Similarly in the stored samples, even 1 or 3 months after irradiation, all the irradiated samples significantly showed longer tail length than the unirradiated controls. These results indicate that the comet assay could be one of the simple methods of detecting irradiated samples. Moreover, the method could detect DNA damage even after 1 or 3 months after irradiation.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 2001

Korean ginseng products have been fumigated with ethylene oxide (EO) for sterilization and prolongation of storage periods. However, there had been controversies indicating that consumption of EO treated foods might cause harmful effects in human. In Korea, the use EO gas for food treatment was banned in 1991. Since then, irradiation technique has been developed as an alternative. This study was carried out to evaluate the safety of irradiated ginseng on embryo and fetal developmental toxicity effects in rats. Either EO gas fumigated or $\gamma$-irradiated ginseng was administered to pregnant Wistar rats by oral gavage from gestational day 7 to 17. The amount of irradiation used in this study was 5, 10 and 30 kGy, respectively. There were no treatment related changes of dams in deaths, clinical signs, food consumption and body/organ weight. No treatment related changes in implantation ratio, litter size, sex ratio and body/organ weight of fetuses were observed. Also, no F1fetuses with external, visceral, head and skeletal mal-formation were observed. The results of this study showed that $\gamma$-irradiated ginseng, up to 30 kGy, has no adverse effects on fetal development of rats.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.17-25
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• 2001

Korean ginseng products have been fumigated with ethylene oxide (EO) for sterilization and prolongation of storage periods. However, there had been controversies indicating that consumption of EO treated foods might cause harmful effects in human. In Korea, the use EO gas for sterilization of food was banned in 1991. Since then, irradiation technique has been developed as an alternative. This study was carried out to evaluate the safety of irradiated ginseng on peri- and postnatal developmental toxicity in rats. Either EO gas fumigated or gamma-irradiated ginseng was administered to pregnant Wistar rats by oral gavage from gestational day 16 to postnatal day 21. The amount of irradiation used in this study was 5, 10 and 30 kGy, respectively. There were no treatment related changes of dams in deaths, clinical signs, and parturition. No treatment related changes in food consumption, body/organ weight and lactation of dams were observed. Also, no F1 fetuses in external abnormality, physical development, reflex/sensory junctions and behavioral development were found. The results of this study showed that gamma-irradiated ginseng, up to 30 kGy, has no adverse effects on the peri- and postnatal development of rats.