What is ‘irradiation’, technology India is piloting to make onions last longer? Know benefits for consumers

Prices of tomatoes skyrocketed, dealing a huge blow to the pockets of the common man. Onions often have the same fate at times and become too costly for an essential vegetable. The Government of India is now planning to tackle the recurring onion shortage issue with a new technology that aims to increase the shelf life of the vegetable, thereby bringing down post-harvest losses.

Besides procuring a larger share of (3 lakh tonnes more) of onions as buffer stock for 2023, the government is also piloting a technology called ‘irradiation’ of of onion with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Ministry of Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said on Sunday. As per the government’s plan, onions will be ‘irradiated’ before they are stocked in cold storage. Here’s all you need to know.

What is irradiation?

Simply put, irradiation is the process of exposing any object to ionising radiation. More specifically, food radiation exposes food and food packaging to radiation from gamma rays, x-rays or electron beams. In case of onions, they are exposed to gamma ray irradiation which helps in effective preservation by preventing them from sprouting, thus extending the shelf life and reducing spoilage.

The discovery of food irradiation is credited to Lewis Stadler at the University of Missouri in the US with it being first done on plant seeds. The process has been effectively employed to particular cereals, onions, potatoes and garlic.

What is the government’s plan?

The government plans to prevent the “significant” post-harvest loss of onion in India. Onions are seen to rot and start sprouting even when in cold storage. The irradiation plan aims to bring post-harvest lossed down from 25% to 10-12%. Onion prices generally come under pressure for around 20 days. The government is confident of overcoming the issue this time through the extra buffer stock and irradiation technology.

The government is performing the Irradiation experiment with 150 tonnes of onion. "On a pilot basis, we are experimenting with onion irradiation of 150 tonnes with gamma radiation from Cobalt-60 at Lasalgaon in Maharashtra. This will increase the shelf life of onions," the Ministry of Consumer Affairs Secretary said. If successful, irradiation will help in increasing the “recovery rate” of onion to around 88-90%.

Is it safe? How does it benefit consumers?

Irradiation is confirmed to be safe in numerous tests conducted by the likes of the World Health Organization (WHO) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

For consumers, irradiation doesn’t just bring a product with a longer shelf life but also reduces risk of getting ill due to a foodborne disease. Irradiation inhibits sprouting or ripening and kills organisms responsible for spoilage and foodborne illness. It also helps against invasive pests and insect contamination. 

(Inputs from PTI)