Supercritical fluid extraction of meat lipids: An alternative approach to the identification of irradiated meats

Ionizing radiation is currently under study as an alternative method for extending the shelf life of meats and meat products. Accordingly, methods are needed to determine if a meat or meat product has been exposed to ionizing radiation. In this study, a method is described for the isolation and analysis of volatile hydrocarbons formed in meat lipids after exposure to ionizing radiation. The method is based on supercritical fluid extraction of the hydrocarbons from meat lipids and subsequent identification and quantitation of individual hydrocarbons by gas chromatography (GC) with a mass selection-detector (MSD). Supercritical carbon dioxide at 175 bar and 40 degrees C extracted the hydrocarbon fraction from total meat lipids within 20 min. The presence of radiolytic hydrocarbons, as determined by GC/MSD, was then correlated to the degree of irradiation of the meat from 0 to 10 kGy. Besides being faster, this method has the advantage of reduced solvent consumption when compared to current methods for determining if a meat or meat product has been irradiated.