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from Brown Corpus
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Competitive processes for preserving meats are by canning and freezing.
Costs of canning meat are in the range of 0.8 to 5 cents per pound ; ;
costs of freezing are in the area of 2 to 3.5 cents per pound.
The table on page 10 shows costs of canning and freezing meat, and estimated costs for irradiation under certain assumed conditions.
Under the conditions of comparison, it will be noted that: ( 1 )
Radiosterilization ( at 3 Mrad ) is more expensive than canning, particularly for the cesium-137 source.
( 2 )
Radiopasteurization by either the electron accelerator or cesium-137 source is in the range of freezing costs.
( 3 )
Irradiation using the nuclide source is more expensive than use of an electron accelerator.
Poultry
Results of irradiation tests with poultry have been quite successful.
At sterilizing doses, good palatability results, with a minimum of changes in appearance, taste, and odor.
Radiopasteurization has also been successful, and the shelf life of chicken can be extended to a month or more under refrigerated storage as compared with about 10 days for the untreated product.
Acceptable taste and odor are retained by the irradiated and refrigerated chicken.
Acceptance of radiopasteurization is likely to be delayed, however, for two reasons: ( 1 ) the storage life of fresh chicken under refrigeration is becoming a minimal problem because of constantly improved sanitation and distributing practices, and ( 2 ) treatment by antibiotics, a measure already approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration, serves to extend the storage life of chicken at a low cost of about 0.5 cents per pound.
Seafood
Fresh seafood products are extremely perishable.
Although refrigeration has served to extend the storage life of these products, substantially increased consumption might be possible if areas remote from the seacoast could be served adequately.

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