The treatment of meats with ionising radiations. II.—Observations on the destruction of thiamine

Abstract

In a study of the changes induced in foods by ionising radiations the destruction of thiamine in meat has been measured as one indication of chemical change. Under a given set of conditions the breakdown is related to the dose of radiation. The effect of varying the internal and external environment a t the time of irradiation has been studied. Freezing to -75" has been found to be the most effective method of preventing the destruction of thiamine.

Effect of irradiation dose and irradiation temperature on the thiamin content of raw and cooked chicken breast meat

“…The Ðndings of this work agreed with those reported previously for bacon beef liver (Williams et al 1958) chicken (Fox et al 1989 ;Hanis et al 1989), minced beef (Wilson 1959), pork (Fox et al 1989) and turkey (Thomas and Calloway 1957 ;Fox et al 1995). An increasing loss of thiamin in chicken meat was observed with increasing irradiation dose but when the irradiation treatment was carried out at freezing temperatures there was a marked reduction in the e †ects observed.…”

Effect of Gamma Ray Irradiation and Frying on the Thiamine Content of Bacon

“…This study has confirmed that low-temperature irradiation of bacon results in greater retention of thiamine, similar to that reported by Wilson (1959), and Thomas et al (1981) for minced beef and ground pork, respectively. This study has also identified a protective effect for thiamine when bacon is cooked before irradiation.…”

Nutritional and other implications of irradiating meat

“…(Thomas & Calloway, 1957), minced beef (Wilson, 1959), beef liver (Williams et al 1958) and bacon confirm that destruction of the vitamin reflects the dose applied and the conditions used during irradiation. Thiamin levels in chicken meat decrease with increasing dose but irradiation at freezing temperatures markedly reduces the effects observed (Fox et al 1989;M.…”