TEHRAN – The first homegrown system used for irradiation of agricultural products will be unveiled in Iran within the next few days, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Muhammad Eslami has said.
The AEOI, he said, has made detailed plans to redress the country’s shortcomings as regards irradiation technologies in agriculture, foodstuff processing and industries.
Since other countries refuse to sell irradiation systems to Iran, the AEOI launched a project to design and manufacture them inside the country, he said.
Eslami noted that 12 irradiation regional hubs will be established across the country in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture.
“With the coming into service of those systems, we will be able to increase the shelf-life and storage capacity of agricultural products,” he said.
Eslami said over the next 10 years, the Iranian irradiation systems will reduce the waste of agricultural products and food by 30 percent.
Food irradiation is the process of exposing foodstuff to gamma rays to kill bacteria that can cause food-borne diseases, and to increase shelf-life. It has the same benefits as when food is heated, refrigerated, frozen, or treated with chemicals, but does not change the temperature or leave residues.
Meanwhile, the construction of a major water desalination project will start at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in south of Iran in the coming weeks, an official has said.
Governor of Bushehr province Ahmad Muhammadizadeh said work to build Iran’s first nuclear-powered desalination plant will start in late August concurrent with ceremonies to mark the Administration Week.
The facility will have a capacity of to desalinate 70,000 cubic meters per day, he said.
Iran’s first and only nuclear power plant in Bushehr is capable of producing nearly 1 gigawatt per hour of electricity.
The AEOI plans two other similar power generation units in Bushehr in line with Iran’s plans to diversify electricity production in the country.
Muhammadizadeh said nuclear reactors in the two planned power plant units in Bushehr will be used to operate two desalination projects with a combined capacity of 150,000 cubic meters per day.