BY DIRAMAKINI
THE Tanzania Atomic Energy Commission (TAEC) is working to install the multipurpose irradiatior plant in Dar es Salaam for simultaneous treatment of different foods in the country.
The envisaged state- of- the- art facility is expected to play pivotal role in advancing the country’s food preservation and exporting sectors, among others.
Food irradiation is a processing and preservation method involving exposure of food to specified doses of ionising radiation such as gamma rays, electrons, and X-rays in a radiation shielded chamber.
Giving a exclusive interview to this publication, TAEC's Director General (DG), Prof. Lazaro Busagala said in the state- owned Commission had decided to embark on the key project in order to improve and standardise Tanzania's food preservation and exporting sectors.
He communicated that the coming facility will have a capacity of extending life span in food storage for diverse products, including meat, milk, fishes and others, the development which will greatly assist traders who involve in the food exportation sector, as well as other public institutions.
"For somewhat, Tanzania is still grappling with shortage of needed technologies to help preserve food products for reasonable long hours and export the products while still fresh and at needed international standards," he expressed.
He detailed that the highly scientific food preservation facility will use high tech methods, including several processes with the objective to kill or impair the reproduction capacity of undesired living organisms thereby eliminating health risks or to affect the morphology of the product in a beneficial way for extending the shelf life.
"During irradiation, DNA or RNA in the nuclei of cells is damaged by direct action of the ionising radiation or due to the indirect action of free radicals generated on radiolysis of cellular," he noted.
In line with the development, he said TAEC was looking forward to ensure there are a number of multi- experts who will help in operating the facility professionally.
"In operating the plant fruitful we need to have good numbet of equipped experts in several categories, such as food science, nutrition, biology, physics as well as those in chemical engineering, " he informed.
To that end, he said TAEC has set aside a total of 2.6bn/- as a scholarship package to support local science students who will excel in their university's final examinations to attain further studies abroad.
"The focus is to assure we're moulding a number of young blood scientists in different field of science who will help to handle the multipurpose irradiatior facility effective," he added.
Together with that, Prof. Busagala unveiled that TAEC is set to implement a series of project, basing on different sectors including nuclear technologies, divulging that was why they consider it of prudent to train a number of experts in readiness to help handle the coming projects in deserved standards.
The Tanzania Atomic Energy Commission (TAEC) is the regulatory body responsible for all atomic energy matters in the United Republic of Tanzania. It was established under the Atomic Energy Act No. 7 of 2003.