2022 Volume 71 Issue 3 Pages 211-217
Food irradiation is prohibited in Japan except in potato sprout inhibition. However, Low-energy electron beams (Soft electron) of less than 1 MeV can be irradiated to food because these electrons adapt to the Atomic Energy Basic Law in Japan. In addition, absorbed dose of food in edible part must be set to under 0.10 Gy. We examined the absorbed dose of the edible part in eggs when sterilizing their shells with Soft electron. The irradiation conditions with these electron beams were evaluated by experimentation and Monte Carlo simulation. The resulting eggshell depth dose distributions indicate that the acceleration voltages between 80 and 200 kV were optimal for eggshell sterilization. It was also found that the acceleration voltages between 80 and 150 kV were suitable for the reduction of dosage to the egg’s edible tissues (≤0.10 Gy).
