A group of Russian scientists, including researchers from the Institute of Nuclear Physics, has proposed using radiation to extend the shelf life of feed to at least 1 year. The technology could enable Russian poultry companies to breed broilers in Arctic regions, where permafrost conditions prevent the cultivation of feed crops.
The scientists suggested using electron, or cold pasteurisation, which is a method of non-thermal food and feed preservation that uses a beam of high-energy electrons to inactivate microorganisms such as bacteria, moulds, and parasites. The process involves directing accelerated electrons – generated by a particle accelerator – onto the product as it passes through a controlled irradiation chamber.
In theory, these electrons penetrate the material and disrupt the DNA of microbes, while because the electrons do not remain in the product and do not induce radioactivity at the energy levels, the treated feed or food does not become radioactive.
Making arctic poultry farming possible
With the new development, the Russian scientists hope to solve a long-standing issue: making poultry farming in the Arctic possible.
“The Institute of Experimental Veterinary Science is interested in increasing the shelf life of compound feed so that it can be delivered to remote Arctic territories and used for raising poultry there,” said Alexander Bryazgin, head of a laboratory at the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Science.
According to Bryazgin, feed products could be delivered to the northern part of Russia only during a short summer window. For the rest of the year, poultry farms in permafrost areas will need to run on their warehouse stocks. This factor has traditionally hampered the development of the poultry industry in the Arctic.
“Right now, it’s [poultry production] impossible because feed has a very short shelf life, and supplies to the north are limited to the summer, so local suppliers are forced to import frozen poultry,” Bryazgin said.
No legal barriers
The researchers said electron pasteurisation, which uses accelerator-generated radiation at energies of up to 10 MeV, extends shelf life without leaving residual radiation in the product.
Bryazgin added there are currently no legal barriers in Russia to the irradiation of feed for pasteurisation, though wider adoption would require producer interest and ongoing regulatory updates.
This is not the first time radiation has been proposed for treating agricultural products in Russia. A similar initiative to use low-dose radiation to extend the shelf life of agricultural commodities was earlier proposed by the Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom.
However, in practice, electron and other forms of irradiation have seen only limited adoption in mainstream agriculture and food processing in many markets, including Russia, primarily due to persisting safety concerns.
