Many technologies have been studied and executed for the prevention of postharvest losses. Nevertheless, still a huge amount of losses to the extent of 20% still occur in many countries owing to insects and pests alone. According to the United Nations, about 30% of the mortality rate world- wide is caused by alimentary diseases due to some microorganisms, insects or pests through toxin formation in the food products. Gamma irradiation has emerged as an efficient and remarkable technique for the prevention of growth of microorganisms, insects and mites in order to have safe food as well as smooth trading across the borders. Irradiation can contribute to ensure food safety to healthy and compromised consumers (pregnant mothers, immune-compromised patients, people on medication and ageing persons), satisfying quarantine requirements and controlling severe losses during transportation and commercialization. The use of irradiation for decontamination of foods is a promising technology that could be applied to the end product. This technology also has the advantage that it can be applied to fresh, frozen or cooked products to enhance their shelf life. It is a physical, safe, environmentally clean and efficient technology. This paper reviews the application of gamma irradiation for inhibiting the growth of insects, pests and microorganisms.
