Detection of irradiated chicken and dosimetric properties of drumsticks bones

Abstract Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy was used to detect irradiated chicken and to investigate the dosimetric properties of chicken drumstick bones. A model of two different radicals was used to determine the ESR parameters of the radiation-induced radicals. Dose-response curves for drumstick bone irradiated with its surrounding meat and irradiated bone powder were constructed in the dose ranges of 0–10 and 0–22 kGy, respectively. It was found that both of these curves increase linearly with dose over the likely commercial range (0–10 kGy), and that the dose-response curve of irradiated bone powder shows a biphasic character in the applied dose range (0–22 kGy). Long-term (5 months) stability studies on a sample stored at 4°C showed a decline in the ESR signal intensity by about 10% over the first 10–12 days of storage.