Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA.
Annu Rev Food Sci Technol. 2012;3:493-510. doi: 10.1146/annurev-food-022811-101306. Epub 2011 Dec 9.
First recognized in 1895, X-ray irradiation soon became a breakthrough diagnostic tool for the dental and medical professions. However, the food industry remained slow to adopt X-ray irradiation as a means for controlling insects and microbial contaminants in food, instead using gamma and electron beam (E-beam) irradiation. However, the reinvention of X-ray machines with increased efficiency, combined with recent developments in legislation and engineering, is now allowing X-ray to actively compete with gamma irradiation and E-beam as a microbial reduction strategy for foods. This review summarizes the historical developments of X-rays and discusses the key technological advances over the past two decades that now have led to the development of several different X-ray irradiators capable of enhancing the safety and shelf life of many heat-sensitive products, including lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, and raw almonds, all of which have been linked to high profile outbreaks of foodborne illness.
X 射线辐射于 1895 年首次被发现，很快成为牙科和医学领域的突破性诊断工具。然而，食品行业采用 X 射线辐射来控制食品中的昆虫和微生物污染物的速度仍然很慢，而是使用伽马射线和电子束（E 束）辐射。然而，随着效率的提高，X 射线机的重新发明，再加上最近在立法和工程方面的发展，现在使得 X 射线能够积极与伽马辐射和 E 束竞争，成为一种用于减少食品中微生物的策略。本文综述了 X 射线的历史发展，并讨论了过去 20 年中的关键技术进步，这些进步现在已经开发出了几种不同的 X 射线辐照器，能够提高许多对热敏感的产品的安全性和保质期，包括生菜、菠菜、西红柿和生杏仁，所有这些产品都与高知名度的食源性疾病爆发有关。
