ESTIMATION OF THE ABSORBED DOSE IN RADIATION-PROCESSED FOOD .1. TEST OF THE EPR RESPONSE FUNCTION BY A LINEAR-REGRESSION ANALYSIS

Free radicals produced in chicken bone tissue by Cs-137 gamma-rays were measured using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The yield of radicals was found to be proportional to the absorbed dose. Additive re-irradiation of previously irradiated bones is the basis of a method to estimate the absorbed dose in radiation-processed foods. The ability of the method to provide accurate dose assessments for a range of doses (0.5-7.4 kGy) is tested here. A linear fit to the data yields reasonable dose estimates for bone irradiated < 2 kGy, but fails at the higher doses using a linear approximation to the dose response. These data and their implications are discussed.