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Irradiation Technology Applied to Industry
Uruguay has a single gamma ray irradiator, located in the Irradiation Unit of the Technological Laboratory of Uruguay (LATU). Its capacity is defined by the design of the equipment and the amount of energy it delivers. Samples are placed in aluminum containers measuring 20 cm in diameter and 40 cm in height, and the current processing capacity is approximately 250 m³ per year. LATU’s Irradiation Unit offers its services and has positioned itself as a high-quality alternative for treating food and other materials, with applications ranging from medicinal herbs and plant-based specialties to phytotherapeutic medicines.
Irradiation—or ionization—technology is a sanitization and preservation method that involves exposing products to a controlled amount of ionizing radiation for a specific period. It is a physical process that does not rely on high temperatures, high pressures, or chemical contact. This means that alterations to the irradiated product are minimal or nonexistent. The process does not require post-treatment quarantine, can be applied to both raw materials and finished, packaged products, and is environmentally friendly—no waste is generated, and no natural resources such as water are consumed. These features make it a highly attractive technology for processing industries.
To determine whether irradiation is the most appropriate technology for a given product based on its intrinsic characteristics, it is always necessary to conduct specific trials and build prior knowledge before applying it to a full production batch.
Irradiation can also be advantageous in the development of new products that incorporate this technology into their processing lines.
In the food sector, the technology has been used on a variety of products to ensure they are free from microorganisms that could pose a health risk. For example, a ready-to-eat salad composed of tomato, carrot, lettuce, and onion was successfully treated to remain fresh and microbiologically safe for over 15 days, with consumer-tested acceptability appropriate to the product’s expected shelf life. The technology has also been applied for raw material decontamination, with successful results in sectors such as meat processing, cheese production, and delicatessens.
The technology has also been developed regionally for the radio-sterilization of human tissue for transplants, with LATU’s irradiator providing services for human medicine.
In the plastic packaging industry, irradiation is used to produce sterile packaging without the use of high temperatures, enabling the development of new formulations, for example.
The scope of this technology is so broad that it is also used in the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage. Bibliographic and archival materials exposed to adverse storage conditions, floods, or other damage can be treated with ionizing radiation.
All of these applications are supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and are nationally authorized by the National Regulatory Authority in Radioprotection, under the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining, the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, and the Municipality of Montevideo.
Internationally, irradiation is endorsed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
From a health and regulatory perspective, LATU’s gamma irradiation sterilization service is authorized for use on medicinal herbs and plant-based specialties by the Ministry of Public Health, through the Department of Pharmaceuticals and its regulatory decrees. It is also certified in Good Manufacturing Practices by the Directorate General of Health for applications in food, therapeutic devices, and plant-based specialties—including cannabis—according to the MERCOSUR Technical Regulation on GMP for medical products and in vitro diagnostic devices, the WHO Technical Report Series, the National Food Code, and the Codex Alimentarius.
