Inter-Laboratory Trials of the EPR Method for the Detection of Irradiated Meats Containing Bone

Three international trials on the use of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) to detect irradiated meats containing bone were sponsored as part of a coordinated research programme by the International Atomic Energy Agency. In these trials, 11 laboratories used EPR to examine a total of 154 bone samples from three different meats. In one of the trials food irradiation processing conditions were simulated. the results were 100% successful for identifying both irradiated and unirradiated bones. A protocol for the EPR method is provided.