Lipid oxidation of irradiated pork products

The effect of irradiation (2, 5 and 8 kGy) and vacuum storage for 60 days on fatty acid and cholesterol oxidation was determined in three Italian cured pork products (salame Milano, coppa and pancetta). A significant increase in the degree of fatty acid oxidation was observed starting from 8 kGy irradiation dose. Unlike the unirradiated samples, the vacuum storage was not sufficient to curb fatty acid oxidation in the irradiated pork products. The cholesterol oxidation of all of the pork products investigated was affected by the highest dose of irradiation and sometimes by storage. The effect induced by the ionising radiation was different depending on the type of pork product. The cholesterol oxide molecules were qualitatively similar in both irradiated and unirradiated pork products and the levels detected were about 100 times lower than the toxic level for in vitro and in vivo experiments.