Irradiation Glossary
Tuesday 7 December 2004
Terms used in the context of Irradiation of Food
Dose or Absorbed dose – quantity of energy transferred by ionising radiation to a unit mass of material, such as tissue. Unit: gray, symbol: Gy
Electron – elementary particle with very small mass and unit negative electric charge
Electron beams – stream of electrons directed towards a specified target
Free radical – atom or group of atoms that is unstable and highly reactive.
Gamma ray – quantity of electromagnetic energy without mass or charge, emitted by a radionuclide
Ion – atom which has a positive or negative electric charge
Ionisation – process by which an atom or molecule acquires or loses an electric charge and becomes an ion
Ionising radiation – radiation that produces ionisation in matter. Examples are alpha particles, beta particles, gamma rays, X-rays and neutrons
Radiation – process of emitting energy as waves or particles
Radioactivity – emission of ionising radiation caused by the spontaneous transformation of atomic nuclei
X-ray – quantity of electromagnetic energy without mass or charge, emitted by an x-ray machine