BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The current South Korean government policy on food irradiation technology should be reformed based on an in-depth investigation of the communications aspect, because the issue is no longer of a technological nature, given the proven safety and efficacy of the processes. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The target population of the education program consisted of elementary, middle, and high school students attending 310 schools in South Korea (2013: 63 schools, 2014: 104 schools, 2015: 143 schools). Data subjected to analysis were 13,327 pre-education and 12,641 post-education questionnaires received from 7,582 elementary, 2,671 middle, and 3,249 high school students who participated in the education program from May 2012 to April 2015 (n = 12,831), after the exclusion of inadequately filled-in questionnaires. RESULTS: Analysis of the three-year educational effect trend was conducted by comparing levels of variables before and after food radiation education. The analysis yielded the finding that the post-education levels were significantly higher for all variables. That is, for interest in education, perception (necessity, safety, subjective knowledge, and information acquisition), objective knowledge, and attitude, with the sole exception of objective knowledge in 2013. CONCLUSIONS: Given that post-education levels of perception, knowledge, and attitude concerning irradiated foods increased considerably compared to pre-education levels, behavior change should be induced by providing continuous education to enhance, these primary variables.
Education* ; Food Irradiation* ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Humans ; Korea*

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Educational interventions targeted food selection perception, knowledge, attitude, and behavior. Education regarding irradiated food was intended to change food selection behavior specific to it. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: There were 43 elementary students (35.0%), 45 middle school students (36.6%), and 35 high school students (28.5%). The first step was research design. Educational targets were selected and informed consent was obtained in step two. An initial survey was conducted as step three. Step four was a 45 minute-long theoretical educational intervention. Step five concluded with a survey and experiment on food selection behavior. RESULTS: As a result of conducting a 45 minute-long education on the principles, actual state of usage, and pros and cons of irradiated food for elementary, middle, and high-school students in Korea, perception, knowledge, attitude, and behavior regarding the irradiated food was significantly higher after the education than before the education (P < 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: The behavior of irradiated food selection shows high correlation with all variables of perception, knowledge, and attitude, and it is necessary to provide information of each level of change in perception, knowledge, and attitude in order to derive proper behavior change, which is the ultimate goal of the education.
Education* ; Food Irradiation* ; Food Preferences ; Humans ; Informed Consent ; Korea ; Research Design

BACKGROUND: Hen's egg is the most frequent cause of food hypersensitivity in infants and young children. The major egg white(EW) proteins are ovalbumin(OVA), ovomucoid(OM), ovotransferrine, and lysozyme. OVA and OM have been generally considered to be the most allergic EW proteins. Food irradiation has been permitted in the fields of agriculture and food handling. Currently, it was suggested that the binding ability of specific IgE to gamma-irradiated OVA was rapidly decreased depending upon the irradiation dose. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the application of food irradiation technology as a method for reducing the allergenicities of EW proteins. METHODS: A total of 10 egg-allergic patients less than 24 months of age were enrolled in this study. OVA was gamma-irradiated at 10 kGy in an aqueous state(2.0 mg/mL). Skin prick test and ELISA inhibition test were done to compare the IgE binding capacities before and after irradiation of OVA. RESULTS: One hundred percent of patients showed positive skin reactions with EW and native-OVA. Negative skin reactions to irradiated-OVA were observed in 7 of 10 patients and remainder 3 showed reduced skin reactions(p=0.001). In IgE-ELISA inhibition test, the IgE-binding capacities of irradiated-OVA reduced 1/80 (50% inhibition concentration: native-OVA-0.1 microgram/mL, irradiated-OVA-8 microgram/mL), respectively. CONCLUSION: We suggest that the allergenicity of OVA can be reduced by the treatment with gamma irradiation.
Agriculture ; Child ; Conalbumin ; Egg Hypersensitivity ; Egg White* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay* ; Food Handling ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Food Irradiation ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Infant ; Muramidase ; Ovalbumin* ; Ovum* ; Skin*

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.
alpha-Tocopherol ; Ascorbic Acid ; Bacteria ; beta Carotene ; Capsicum ; Fishes ; Food Irradiation* ; gamma-Tocopherol ; Korea* ; Perciformes ; Phenol ; Powders ; Sesamum ; Thiamine* ; Vitamin A ; Vitamins*

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.
Animals ; Bacteria ; Comet Assay ; Diet* ; DNA Damage* ; DNA* ; Epithelial Cells ; Food Irradiation ; Intestinal Mucosa ; Lipid Peroxidation ; Liver ; Lymphocytes* ; Mice* ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Mucous Membrane ; Myelin Sheath ; Oxidative Stress ; Plasma* ; Sesamum ; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances

In this study, we investigated the in vivo effect by intake of the irradiated foods such as mackerel and sesame seed which are high in unsaturated fatty acid through TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive subtance) and the tissue pathological and genotoxicological test. Thirty two ICR mice are divided into four groups, one non-irradiated (control) group and three irradiated (5, 10, 20 kGy, respectively) groups. Sesame seed and pulverized mackerel in modified AIN93M diet were mixed together then divided into four identical parts. Three parts of them were irradiated by doses of 5, 10, and 20 kGy. These experimental diet were fed to each group for 4, 8 and 16 weeks. The results of the study were as follows: No significant differences in weight gain were found in each group. Peroxide value of the irradiated diet was higher than that of the non-radiated one and also increased according to the storage period. TBA values in plasma, liver, kidney and Peyer's patch were not significantly different among 4 groups. DNA% in tail, tail length (TL) and tail moment (TM) values of the blood lymphocyte in 4, 8 and 16 week groups and the liver in 16 week group were much measured over the control. DNA% in tail of kidney of 8 week group was significantly larger than the control and TL and TM of 8 week and TM of 16 week groups showed a tendency of higher values. By Peyer's patch, DNA% in tail of 8 week group, DNA% in tail and TM of 16 week groups increased significantly over the control. Ultrastructural examination shows myeline figures and swollen mitochondria in parietal cells and intestinal epithelial cells of 8 and 16 weeks groups. After this study, we need further investigations on the safety of highly consumed foods which contai high contents of unsaturated fatty acid, largely imported and which are possible to be irradiated.
Animals ; Comet Assay ; Diet* ; Epithelial Cells ; Food Irradiation ; Kidney ; Liver ; Lymphocytes ; Mice* ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Mitochondria ; Myelin Sheath ; Oxidative Stress* ; Perciformes ; Plasma ; Rabeprazole ; Sesamum ; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances ; Weight Gain

Food irradiation has been steadily increased in many countries concomitantly with increasing international trades. Harmful contaminants naturally occurred from foods which contain high levels of unsaturated fatty acids that are easily oxidized can affect the human anti-oxidation system through the generation of free radicals. Moreover, previous studies proved that gamma-irradiation may cause production of free radicals in food. We investigated the effect of gamma-irradiated soybeans in relation to oxidative stress in mice. Oxidative index of mice was evaluated by TBARS, DNA fragmentation in various organs such as blood lymphocytes, liver and kidney. Forty male ICR mice were equally divided into 4 groups and fed control diet or gamma-irradiated diet containing 50% soybeans (5, 10, and 20 kGy, respectively )for 8 weeks. Pero-xide values of the irradiated diets were higher than that of the non-irradiated one and increased according to the storage period. There was no significant difference in weight gain as well as in TBARS value in plasma and kidney of all groups. Liver TBARS value of the group fed with irradiated diet at 20 kGy increased significantly compared with the control group (p <0.05 ). DNA oxidative damage as measured by alkaline comet assay showed that % tail DNA in the blood lymphocytes of 5 kGy and 10 kGy groups increased significantly over the control group (p <0.05 ). Also, tail moments of 5 kGy and 10 kGy groups were higher than that of the control group. Ultrastructural examination shows myeline figures and swollen mitochondria in parietal and intestinal epithelial cells of the group fed with irradiated diet. Therefore, considering unsaturated fatty acid content, consumption of soybeans gamma-irradiated with over 20 kGy or repe-atedly may decrease the body's antioxidant mechanism.
Animals ; Comet Assay ; Diet* ; DNA ; DNA Damage ; DNA Fragmentation ; Epithelial Cells ; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated ; Food Irradiation ; Free Radicals ; Humans ; Kidney ; Liver ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Mice* ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Mitochondria ; Myelin Sheath ; Oxidative Stress* ; Plasma ; Rabeprazole ; Soybeans* ; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances ; Weight Gain