Irradiation is a method that can effectively sterilize hamburger and other agricultural products, but a major problem with this technique has been the lack of a suitable way of integrating the irradiation process into the normal production process. Current methods of irradiation, both E beam and gamma, require substantial amounts of shielding to protect workers and their environment from radiation. The capital investment of either method is too expensive to be justified for irradiation of a single plant's production. As a result ground beef irradiation will require transportation of frozen product to an irradiation site with capabilities for cold product handling. The cost and practicality of this will come slowly. The purpose of this proposal is to determine the feasibility of using a long weave (~160 to 200 kV) x- ray tube to irradiate hamburger and other agricultural products. The study is designed to determine the feasibility of achieving the necessary dose and uniformity with a linear anode x-ray tube. Since the 160 to 200 kV radiation proposed is contained by a lead sheet 6 to 8 mm thick, it is suitable for use on a production line.
Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications of Research:: This innovation will service a needed niche in the irradiation market which cannot adequately be serviced by existing gamma or electron. Radioactive Gamma sources have limited lifetimes, suffer from a public image problem, and the shielding required makes their use expensive. Electron source also require extensive shielding which limits their implementation. The long wave (160 to 200 kV) radiation produced by the proposed design can readily be shielded and it can be stopped with the flip of a switch. It requires no regulatory proscriptions as do radioactive sources.
