Irradiated Spices/Herbs
I need some help regarding the microbial limits or typical microbial loads on treated (irradiated) spices and herbs. There doesn't seem to be much regarding acceptable counts for irradiated product assuming of course, the product was not re-contaminated post-treatment. Does anyone here have some expertise on the subject? I'm looking at APC,Y/M, and Coliforms.
Thank you!
p.s. Where does everyone get their emojis from?! ...-->newbie here :/
QATX12, I would think that the standard for irradiated spices and herbs should be the same as for non-irradiated spices and herbs. How the material got clean, either by radiation or some other kind of kill step is not important, only the sterility status.
And, once you have made the correct number of posts, you can become a full member and the emoticons magically are activated in the posting area.
Welcome, you've joined a very helpful group who are super people. Have fun exploring all the topics in the forum.
:welcome:
Martha
:welcome: !! I would have to do some research on the micro levels. But the emoticons can be found when you click on the smiley face between the "A" and the "my Media". It will give you a drop down at the bottom of the window and above the post button.
Dear qatx12,
No idea about standards (or compulsory labelling)
But the result of a good, long, blast of gamma rays should i imagine lead to sterility. And quality changes ?
Rgds / Charles.C
PS if emojis = emoticons (??), one clicks on the menu smiley and then on the subtext under the popup
Dear qatx12,
No idea about standards (or compulsory labelling)
But the result of a good, long, blast of gamma rays should i imagine lead to sterility. And quality changes ?
Rgds / Charles.C
PS if emojis = emoticons (??), one clicks on the menu smiley and then on the subtext under the popup
The standard for sterility is well established for gamma irradiation, and there are commercial services who perform this. I would not recommend performing this yourself, it's a lot of radiation to manage. The regulations are intense, to say the least. This is from a former radiation safety officer.
As for quality changes, some components/molecules withstand high does radiation very well, and some fall apart. You would want to either see if someone else has done the work, or test the material yourself before and after irradiation once or twice (or three times for statistics) before making the claim that it is not changed.
The regulations on labeling will depend on the country that you are selling the spices in.
Martha
Please take into account the relevant EU legislation if you export to the EU:
Hi QATX12,
Irradiation is a process to remove the microbial contamination from herbs and spices to meet the specifications. Therefore, in my knowledge there is no separately laid out microbial requirements for "irradiated herbs and spices".
However some countries do emphasize on "residual radiation levels" in radiation treated materials.
Hello All,
What is the difference between Spices & Herbs?
spices are generally the seeds/roots of a plant and herbs are generally the leaves/stems of a plant
Hello,
I can tell you the difference in between spices and herb. Herb is the leaves of the plant such as rosemary, thyme etc all are herbs. while spices are a non-leaf such as flower, seeds etc. For more information about herb and spices, you can visit this website.