Wd. Graham et al., Effect of irradiation dose and irradiation temperature on the thiamin content of raw and cooked chicken breast meat, J SCI FOOD, 78(4), 1998, pp. 559-564
The usefulness of ionising radiation for the elimination of pathogenic bact
eria in poultry meat has been well documented as have the effects of this p
rocessing treatment on the nutritional status of the food, in particular, t
he vitamins. Unfortunately, much of the earlier research carried out on the
effect of irradiation on vitamins was carried out in solution or in model
systems at doses much greater than those used commercially thereby resultin
g in considerable destruction of these compounds. Thus, those opposed to th
e process of food irradiation labelled the treated food as nutritionally po
or. However, in reality, due to the complexity of food systems the effects
of irradiation on vitamins are generally not as marked and many processes,
for example cooking, cause the same degree of change to the vitamins. Thiam
in (vitamin B-1) is the most radiation sensitive of the water-soluble vitam
ins and is therefore a good indicator of the effect of irradiation treatmen
t. In this study the effects of irradiation at either 4 degrees C or -20 de
grees C followed by cooking on the thiamin content of chicken breast meat w
as determined. Results showed that whilst both irradiation and cooking resu
lted in a decrease in thiamin concentration, the Posses incurred were unlik
ely to be of nutritional significance and could be further minimised by irr
adiating the chicken meat at a low temperature. Thiamin analyses were carri
ed out using high-performance liquid chromatography since this technique is
faster and more selective than the chemical or microbiological methods mor
e commonly employed. Total thiamin, both free and combined form, was determ
ined following acid and enzyme hydrolysis. (C) 1998 Society of Chemical Ind
ustry.