?近日，美國艾荷華州大學(xué)的一名研究人員稱,，缺少輻射殺菌可能是大腸桿菌致病的一個可能原因。
??動物學(xué)教授Dennis Olson說。“如果含有大腸桿菌O157:H7的菠菜被紫外照射殺菌的話,，就不會導(dǎo)致199例致病，102例住院和3例死亡了,。”他同時負(fù)責(zé)和主管艾荷華州商業(yè)的輻射裝置－線性加速儀,。
??早在20年前美國食品藥品監(jiān)督管理局(FDA)就允許利用紫外照射的方式殺死水果和蔬菜中的蟲子，目前這項技術(shù)還沒有運用于食物的病源細(xì)菌的控制,，這歸因于FDA的批準(zhǔn)程序,。1986年，大腸桿菌就被定義為病源性細(xì)菌,，而用輻射方式殺滅細(xì)菌的技術(shù)卻被擱置了6年,。盡管FDA沒有因此受到任何外部的壓力，消費者和食品工業(yè)卻需要快速通過這項技術(shù)來處理一些即食的食品,。
??采用輻射的方式可殺滅導(dǎo)致食源性疾病的微生物,，輻射過程中，能量波會殺滅不好的微生物,，而且不會殘留在食物中,。輻射殺菌技術(shù)在其他大約36個國家都已被批準(zhǔn)，實際應(yīng)用卻很少,，因為消費者和殺菌裝置太費錢的原因,。
??在美國，目前FDA批準(zhǔn)了輻射可以用于殺滅小麥,、土豆,、面粉、辣椒,、茶葉,、水果和蔬菜中的蟲子。輻射還可以用于控制植物的發(fā)芽和成熟,。1985年,，批準(zhǔn)用輻射了控制豬肉的旋毛蟲，雞肉中的沙門氏菌和其他有害細(xì)菌,。2000年批準(zhǔn)用于雞蛋的殺菌,。
英文原文：
Irradiation May be the Answer to E. coli Outbreaks
Irradiation of produce could be a possible solution to outbreaks of E. coli, says an Iowa State University professor.
"If the spinach that contained E. coli O157:H7 in the outbreak in September and October had been irradiated, there would not have been 199 cases of illness, 102 hospitalizations and three deaths," said Dennis Olson, professor of animal science.
Olson is professor-in-charge of Iowa State's Linear Accelerator Facility, a commercial-size irradiation facility.
Although the Food and Drug Administration approved using irradiation to destroy insects in fruits and vegetables 20 years ago, the same technology can't be used on those foods to control pathogen bacteria.
"It's all because of a quirk in the FDA's rule making process," Olson said.
"The regulation was written in about 1986 before E. coli was identified as pathogen bacteria. A petition, which would permit the use of irradiation for bacterial control of fruits and vegetables, has been under review with the FDA for over six years," he said.
"Six years is a long time for reviewing a petition on a technology that has been approved in many countries," he said.
"Although the FDA is not supposed to be influenced by external pressure, consumer and industry requests for the availability of irradiation to protect ready-to-eat foods would help get the agency to move on the petition," Olson said.
Irradiation uses ionizing radiation to kill organisms that cause foodborne illness. During irradiation, the energy waves affect unwanted organisms, but are not retained in the food. Irradiation has been approved for many uses in about 36 countries, but only a few applications are used because of consumer concern and because the facilities are expensive to build.
In the United States, the FDA has approved irradiation for eliminating insects from wheat, potatoes, flour, spices, tea, fruits and vegetables. Irradiation also can be used to control sprouting and ripening. Approval was given in 1985 to irradiate pork to control trichinosis. Using irradiation to control Salmonella and other harmful bacteria in chicken, turkey and other fresh and frozen uncooked poultry was approved in 1990. In l997, the FDA approved the use of irradiation to control pathogens (disease causing micro-organisms such as E. coli and Salmonella species) in fresh and frozen red meats such as beef, lamb and pork. In 2000, the FDA approved irradiation of shell eggs to control Salmonella. In 2005, approval was issued to irradiate shellfish to control vibio.
