resumo
- Irradiation treatment might induce the formation of free radicals and other excited states of chemical species that react with other components in the food matrix, producing diverse radiolytic products. However, the formation of most of these compounds does not occur exclusively upon irradiation treatment, demanding a careful selection of the compounds to be specifically used as chemical markers. Furthermore, the analytical techniques necessary to determine such chemical compounds usually require advanced technical skills and ulterior equipment. In addition, in order to be considered an effective irradiation marker, the selected compound should be stable for a period of time at least as long as the shelf life of the product. This section is divided in two major themes: initially, the chemical compounds with the greatest potential as irradiation markers are thoroughly revised; secondly, the techniques more commonly used to characterize the described compounds are compared.