Changes in Antioxident Nutrients and Vitamin B1 Contents of Gamma Irradiated Foods Consumed most Frequently in Korea

Food irradiation has been steadily increased in many countries concomitantly with increasing international trades and concerns about naturally occurring harmful contaminants of food. Although, irradiation provides an excellent safeguard for the consumer by destroying harmful bacteria, it would be necessary to investigate nutritional adequacy of irradiated foods with a special emphasis on such foods as red pepper powders, cold-water fishes (mackerel), sesame seeds that are widely consumed in Korea. These food items are of special concern due to the fact that most of them are imported and that several nutrients contained in them are sensitively reacting to irradiation. We observed changes in the antioxidant nutrients contents, such as vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin C and total phenol, and also vitamin B1 in the foods that were irradiated at different dose levels. The nutrients contents in red pepper were respectively 98.6% and 92.3% for total phenol, and 97.8% and 94.5% for beta-carotene, right after irradiation at the dose of 10 and 20 kGy. The vitamin C contents decreased with irradiation doses up to 76.4% (10 kGy) and 68.5% (20 kGy) and B1 contents decreased to 54.9% and 80.7% of non irradiated red pepper. When the mackerel was irradiated at the applied dose of 3 and 7 kGy, total phenol concentration of the irradiated fish was respectively 91.3% and 94.2% of non irradiated fish. The amounts of vitamin A were 82.6% (3 kGy) and 78.0% (7 kGy) of unirradiated sample and vitamin B1 contents reduced to 30.5% and 51.5%. alpha-Tocopherol content was 33.9% of the non-irradiated one when it was irradiated at 7 kGy. Vitamin A and gamma-tocopherol contents in sesame seeds linearly decreased with the applied doses (5 and 10 kGy). Vitamin A contents decreased up to 87.8% (5 kGy) and 82.9% (10 kGy) and that of gamma-tocopherol were 72.4% and 66.5% of the unirradiated sample.

Plasma, Tissue Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substance and Lymphocyte Oxidative DNA Damage in Mouse Fed Gamma Irradiated Diet

Food irradiation has been steadily increasing in many countries in line with increasing international trade and concerns about naturally occurring harmful contaminants in food. Although irradiation provides an excellent safeguard for the consumer by destroying almost 100% of harmful bacteria, it is necessary to ensure the safety of irradiated foods. This study was performed to investigate the effect of an irradiated diet on lipid peroxidation in the plasma, liver, small intestinal mucosa, and lymphocyte DNA damage in mice. Eight-week old ICR mice were assigned to two groups to receive either non-irradiated or irradiated (10 kGy) diets containing 20.38% fish powder and 6.06% sesame seeds for 4 weeks. The resulting changes in the degrees of lipid peroxidation were evaluated based on the level of plasma and liver thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), transmission electron micrograph of jejunal mucosa, and free radical-induced oxidative DNA damage in lymphocytes, as measured by alkaline comet assay (single cell gel electrophoresis). The peroxide values of the gamma irradiated diet were measured every week, and the sample for comet assay was taken at the end of the four week experimental period. There was no significant difference in food efficiency ratio between the two groups. The peroxide values of the diet were immediately increased to 35.5% after gamma irradiation and kept on increasing during storage. After 4 weeks, no differences in tissue or plasma TBARS value were observed between the two groups, but epithelial cells of jejumum showed osmiophillic laminated membranous structures, considered as myelin figures,. The oxidative DNA damage expressed as tail moment (TM) increased 30% in the blood lymphocytes of the mice fed the irradiated diet. In conclusion, the comet assay sensitively detected differences in lymphocyte DNA damage after feeding with the irradiated diet for 4 weeks. However, in order to ensure the safety of irradiated foods, it would be more useful to conduct a long-term feeding regimen using an irradiated diet and examine the level of lipid peroxidation and the state of oxidative stress in a greater range of organs.