Effects of X-Rays, Electron Beam, and Gamma Irradiation on Chemical and Physical Properties of EVA Multilayer Films

Fine molecular structure and digestibility changes of potato starch irradiated with electron beam and X-ray

The change of digestibility of starch irradiated with different types from the perspective of fine structure is not well understood. In this work, the change of internal structure, molecular weight and chain-length distribution, helical structure, lamellar structure, fractal structure and digestibility of native and treated potato starch with electron beam and X-ray was analyzed. Two irradiations caused the destruction of internal structure, the disappearance of growth rings and increase of pores. Irradiation degraded starch to produce short chains and to decrease molecular weight. Irradiation increased double helical content and the thickness and peak area of lamellar structure, resulting in the reorganization of amylopectin and increase of structure order degree. The protected glycosidic linkages increased starch resistance to hydrolase attack, thereby enhancing the anti-digestibility of irradiated starch. Pearson correlation matrix also verified the above-mentioned results. Moreover, X-ray more increased the anti-digestibility of starch by enhancing ability to change fine structure.

Impact of X-ray irradiation as an equivalent alternative to gamma for sterilization of single-use bioprocessing polymers

Irradiation sterilization of polymeric pharmaceutical processing systems and medical devices, an essential healthcare technology, is facing critical business continuity challenges, driving the need to qualify equivalent alternative irradiation technologies, such as X-ray. Whereas the underlying there is a paucity of cross-industry published data evaluating X-ray irradiation effects on plastics as compared to gamma irradiation. That leads to regulatory uncertainty in the levels of costly validation data regulators will require and overall apprehension in the rate of X-ray irradiation adoption. The present study evaluates the impact of X-ray versus gamma irradiation on a wide range of polymers with more than 36 single-use (SU) components, using a comprehensive set of industry aligned methods for characterization of bioprocess polymers. Whereas many of these techniques readily demonstrate changes in polymer properties following irradiation, all of the polymers evaluated demonstrated that the impact of X-ray irradiation was to the same degree or less as compared to gamma. Increased publication of studies evaluating the impact to polymers of X-ray versus gamma irradiation is critical to leveraging extensive, existing validation packages on bioprocess systems and medical devices obtained following gamma irradiation, and essential in qualifying X-ray irradiation as an equivalent technology (i.e., materials are impacted to the same extent or less than gamma) that can overcome business continuity challenges to ensure continued availability of critical patient therapies.

Comparative investigation of the effects of electron beam and X-ray irradiation on potato starch: Structure and functional properties

Electron beam (particle radiation) and X-ray (electromagnetic radiation) without radioisotope in the application of material modification have received increasing attention in the last decade. To clarify the effect of electron beam and X-ray on the morphology, crystalline structure and functional properties of starch, potato starch was irradiated using electron beam and X-ray at 2, 5, 10, 20 and 30 kGy, respectively. Electron beam and X-ray treatment increased the amylose content of starch. The surface morphology of starch did not change at lower doses (< 5 kGy), but starch granules were aggregated with the increase of doses. All treatments decreased crystallinity, viscosity and swelling power but increased solubility and stability properties. The effects of electron beam and X-ray on the starch had a similar trend. Unlike X-ray, electron beam destructed the crystallinity of starch to a lesser extent, thereby increasing thermal stability and freeze-thaw stability. Furthermore, X-ray irradiation at higher doses (> 10 kGy) resulted in outstanding anti-retrogradation properties of starch compared with electron beam treatment. Thus, particle and electromagnetic irradiation displayed an excellent ability to modify starch with respective specific characteristics, which expands the potential application of these irradiations in the starch industry.