Irradiation kills microbes: Can it do anything harmful to the food?

Food irradiation is an efficient technology that can be used to ensure food safety by eliminating insects and pathogens to prolong the shelf life, among others. In most of the cases, the process could be applied to fresh or frozen products without affecting the nutritional value and sensory quality of treated foods. The scientific records about food irradiation confirm with a high degree of assurance that foods and food ingredients treated using this method are safe and fit for human consumption. Besides, irradiation can induce certain alterations that can modify both the chemical composition and the nutritional value of foods. These changes depend on the food composition, the irradiation dose, and factors such as temperature and presence or absence of oxygen in the irradiating environment. Currently, food irradiation is approved in more than 60 countries, and there has been a notable growth in production and trade of irradiated foods since 2010.