Although irradiation can be carefully controlled it is generally accepted that the development of methods for the detection of irradiated food would address consumers' concerns and might help to enforce labelling regulations. This article describes the systematic evaluation of electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy for the qualitative and quantitative detection of irradiation in food containing bone and outlines its application to various other foods. It describes a method based on 2-dodecyl cyclobutanone as a potential marker for irradiated food containing fat and concludes with remarks on luminescence techniques and a method based on the formation-of hydrocarbons
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