Keeping Food Quality
Testing production equipment on a daily basis is one method for reducing the possibility of tainted food, and using proper containers to package the food is also important.
Containers, such as plastics, can be detrimental to the safety of food. Using a process called liquid scintillation counting certain harmful substances can be tested in foodstuffs prior to sending out to market. This technique uses a radioactive substance to bind with a sample of food. This is then mixed with specialized chemicals that react or fluoresce to the radioactive decay. As the radiation gives off gamma rays or Beta particles, the fluorescent material glows, in tiny increments.
The liquid scintillation counter works by using a sensitive light detector called a photomultiplier, which can take those small emissions of light and convert them into electricity. This electricity is a signal which is then transmitted to an on board computer which tallies each individual photon of light being emitted.
In yogurt and milk production, this is useful for the detection of certain harmful chemicals that may be present in the food due to the use of a pesticide. The pesticide is present in the dairy products because cows ingest the farmed feed that was treated by it. Successfully testing the dairy products prior to market is vital, since this pesticide can affect the health of children and adults alike.
Pharmaceutical companies test subjects' samples when human testing occurs, to see the likelihood of toxicity of any new drug. The use of liquid scintillation for this is prized because it can determine tiny amount present in the subjects' tissues.
