ACHIEVEMENTS AND PROSPECTS OF FOOD IRRADIATION IN CHINA

As early as 1958 food irradiation research was started in our country.The present aim is to bring up these scientific developments into industrialmanufacture. During the past 28 years the research activities performed can besummerized as:1) investigation of food irradiation technology, 2) Setting up theexpert committee for enacting hygienic standard of irradiated food in 1982,3)construction of multi-purpose gamma irradiators, and 4) a feeding trial of dietmainly composed of irradiated foods in human volunteers. Some suggestions about further development project are:1) enhancing pilot- scale studies, market test and economic benefit analysis of food irradiation, 2)quality control, 3) enthusiastically spreading low dose appliaations, and 4) usinggamma irradiation to reduce microbial load of typical local foods containinghigh proteins and improve its hygienic quality.