New insights to detect irradiated food: an overview

The availability of analytical methods to detect the use of treatment, meet labeling requirements, and regulate international trade is a prerequisite for the approval of irradiation in the food sector. A single analytical method to be used to control all the types of foods is not currently available, and the distinction between irradiated and nonirradiated food in some cases is still an unsolved analytical problem. In fact, most of the chemical compounds induced by irradiation treatment are not unique radiolytic products and therefore they are not adequate markers for the detection of ionizing radiation use. Ten methods for analytical investigation specific for several categories of foods and based on the physical, chemical, or biological changes induced by ionizing radiation have been validated. In this overview, recent improvements in current reference methods to detect the exposition of some foods to ionizing radiation are presented. Moreover, innovative approaches based on NMR and NIR spectroscopies combined with multivariate data analyses, and sensors, such as electronic nose and biosensors, aimed to the authentication and control of irradiated food are discussed for potential future applications