Login Register Cart 0
Generic placeholder image

Current Nutrition & Food Science

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1573-4013
ISSN (Online): 2212-3881

Back
Journal Home About Journal Editorial Board Journal Insight Current Issue Volumes/Issues
Subscribe
Research Article

The Natural Radioactivity in Food: A Comparison Between Different Feeding Regimes

Author(s): Francesco Caridi*, Santina Marguccio, Alberto Belvedere, Maurizio D`Agostino and Giovanna Belmusto

Volume 15, Issue 5, 2019

Page: [493 - 499] Pages: 7

DOI: 10.2174/1874609811666180223155529

Price: $65

Abstract

Background: In this article a comprehensive study was carried out for the determination of natural radioactivity in animal and vegetable food (meat, fish, milk and derivates, legumes, cereals and derivates, fruit, hortalizas, vegetables, vegetable oils) typical of different feeding regimes, for the age category higher than 17 years.

Methods: A total of eighty-five samples of Italian origin, coming from large retailers during the years 2014, 2015 and 2016, were analyzed through HPGe gamma spectrometry.

Results: The specific activity of 40K was investigated and its mean value was found to be: (106.3 ± 6.9) Bq/kg for bovine, swine and sheep meat; (116.5 ± 9.7) Bq/kg for fish; (52.9 ± 3.1) Bq/kg for milk and derivates; (271.9 ± 16.7) Bq/kg for legumes; (67.2 ± 4.7) Bq/kg for cereals and derivates; (52.7 ± 4.4) Bq/kg for fruit; (72.9 ± 5.6) Bq/kg for hortalizas; (83.9 ± 6.5) Bq/kg for vegetables; lower than the minimum detectable activity for vegetable oils. For animal food the highest mean 40K activity concentration was found in fish samples; for vegetable food the highest one was detected in legumes.

Conclusion: The evaluation of dose levels due to the food ingestion typical of Mediterranean, Vegetarian and Vegan diets was performed. The annual effective dose was found to be 0.16 mSv/y, 0.41 mSv/y and 0.54 mSv/y, respectively.

Keywords: Effective dose, feeding regime, food, gamma spectrometry, ingestion, natural radioactivity.

« Previous Next »
Graphical Abstract

[1]
Júnior JAS, Cardoso JJRF, Silva CM, Silveiraand SV, Amaral RS. Radioactivity levels of basic foodstuffs and dose estimates in Sudan. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2006; 269(2): 451-5.
[2]
Ramachandran TV, Mishra UC. Measurement of natural radioactivity levels in Indian foodstuffs by gamma spectrometry. Appl Radiat Isot 1989; 40(8): 723-6.
[3]
Caridi F, D’Agostino M, Marguccio S, et al. Radioactivity, granulometric and elemental analysis of river sediments samples from the coast of Calabria, south of Italy. Eur Phys J Plus 2016; 131: 136.
[4]
Sam A, Eriksson A. Radium-226 uptake by vegetation grown in Western Sudan. J Environ Radioact 1995; 29(1): 27-38.
[5]
Kӧhler M, Gleisberg B, Niese S. Investigation of the soil-plant transfer of primordial radionuclides in tomatoes by low-level γ-ray spectrometry. Appl Radiat Isot 2000; 53: 203-8.
[6]
Mlwilo NA, Mohammed NK, Spyrou NM. Radioactivity levels of staple foodstuffs and dose estimates for most of the Tanzanian population. J Radiol Prot 2007; 27: 471-80.
[7]
Caridi F, Marguccio S, D’Agostino M, Belvedere A, Belmusto G. Natural radioactivity and metal contamination of river sediments in the Calabria region, south of Italy. Eur Phys J Plus 2016; 131: 155.
[8]
Caridi F, D’Agostino M, Belvedere A, Marguccio S, Belmusto G. Radon radioactivity in groundwater from the Calabria region, south of Italy. J Instrum 2016; 11: P05012.
[9]
Caridi F, D’Agostino M, Messina M. Lichens as environmental risk detectors. Eur Phys J Plus 2017; 132(4): 189.
[10]
Ortec Gamma vision-32 v. 6.. 2010.
[11]
Caridi F, Marguccio S, Belvedere A, et al. Natural radioactivity and elemental composition of beach sands in the Calabria region, south of Italy. Environ Earth Sci 2016; 75: 1-7.
[12]
Caridi F, Belvedere A, D’Agostino M, Marguccio S. 137Cs activity concentration in mosses in the Calabria region, south of Italy. J Instrum 2017; 12(5): P05001.
[13]
Italian Legislative Decree 230/95 and successful modifications.
[14]
Italian Institute for the Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA). Radioactivity database www.radia.apat.it2015.
[15]
Willett WC, Sacks F, Trichopoulou A, et al. Mediterranean diet pyramid: a cultural model for healthy eating. Am J Clin Nutr 1995; 61(6): 1402S-6S.
[16]
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Natural and induced radioactivity in food 2002. IAEA-TECDOC-1287, Wien.
[17]
Bhat R, Gomez-Lopez VM. Practical Food Safety: Contemporary Issues and Future Directions. John Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, NJ. 2014.

Rights & Permissions Print Cite
Article Metrics
32
2
1
1
© 2024 Bentham Science Publishers | Privacy Policy