Identification of Gamma Irradiation of Imported Spice

Photostimulated Luminescence (PSL), Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) and Thermoluminescence (TL) analysis were conducted to detect irradiation treatment of imported whole and ground spices. The screening by PSL detected no irradiation treatment, except in the ground thyme and bay leaves which exhibited photon counts in the intermediate level. Irradiation of the two spices was detected after irradiating them at 1.0, 3.0, 5.0 and 10.0 kGy, and then subjecting them to PSL analysis, which resulted in the significantly low photons of non-irradiated spices compared to that at 1.0 kGy, indicating that the photon counts varied depending on the amount of inorganic mineral debris in the spices. To confirm a successful detection by using PSL, ESR and TL methods, some spices were selected, irradiated at 5.0 and 10.0 kGy, and subjected to the detection methods. PSL identified the irradiated spices except the cassia, which showed very weak PSL sensitivity, but was identified by ESR analysis. Also, the ESR and TL exhibited the typical signals induced by irradiation treatment and were able to successfully detect all of the irradiated spices. In addition, we found a positive correlation between the intensity of ESR and TL signals and irradiation doses.