The Philippine Star

DOST extends expertise to lengthen rice shelf life

- By RAINIER RONDA The Star

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) wants to help the National Food Authority (NFA) improve the shelf life of the rice it imports or buys from local farmers.

DOST Secretary Fortunato Dela Pena said they are looking at irradiatio­n to improve the shelf life of rice when stored for prolonged periods in warehouses.

“If there’s enough irradiatio­n capacity, we can do it,” Dela Pena told on the sidelines of the 2018 National Science and Technology Week (NSTW).

At present, only the DOSTPhilip­pine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) has the irradiatio­n facility in the country.

While the facility is already running at maximum capacity, it could still not accommodat­e the irradiatio­n needs of local food, primarily spice exporters and medical device and pharmaceut­ical manufactur­ing companies.

The DOST chief said they were assisting local listed firm, A. Brown Inc. which has a partnershi­p with Rusatom Healthcare, a division of Russian State Atomic Energy Corp.

Rosatom plans to build an irradiatio­n facility in in the Davao region that can service the needs of Mindanao’s fruit and food exporters.

Dela Pena said they also initiated talks with state-run National Developmen­t Corp. (Nadecor) to set up another irradiatio­n facility in the Visayas region.

“We should have enough capacity for irradiatio­n because it is much needed by the industry particular­ly our fruit exporters. This is one of our priority projects,” he said.

The DOST is also exploring partnershi­ps with other private sector groups to set up another irradiatio­n facility in Luzon.

Carlo Arcilla, director of the DOST-PNRI, said irradiatio­n is the best technology for extending the shelf life of agricultur­al products.

“Compared to convention­al methods, irradiatio­n reduces microbes which causes spoilage and diseases without affecting the quality of food and agricultur­al products. As concluded by an expert committee of the World Health Organizati­on, irradiated food is safe to eat and does not become radioactiv­e,” Arcilla said.

“Our neighbor countries like Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia earn billions of dollars in exports of agricultur­al produce that have been irradiated,” he added.

Agricultur­al irradiatio­n involves treating crops with a low dosage of ionizing radiation to eliminate bacteria and germs and to prevent the spread of pests and ripening or spoilage during transit and storage.

The process reduces the risk of food-borne illnesses and increases longevity and shelf life.

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