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Canningisusedtopreserveawidevarietyoffoods.Canningpreservesfoodbyheatingitinair-

tight,vacuum-sealedcontainers.Thisprocessremovesoxygen,destroysenzymesinvolved

infoodspoilage,andkillsmostmicroorganismsthatmaybepresentinthefood.Uptohalf

oftheoriginalcontentofwater-solublevitaminsinacannedproductcanbelostinthis

way. 203

Irradiationisaprocessinwhichfoodispassedthroughachamberwhereitisexposedtogamma

raysorXrays.Thesehigh-energyraysarestrongenoughtobreakchemicalbonds,destroy

cellwallsandcellmembranes,andbreakdowndeoxyribonucleicacid(DNA),thesubstance

thatcarriesgeneticinformationinallcells.Irradiationkillsmostbacteria,molds,andinsects

thatmaycontaminatefood.Irradiationalsodelaystheripeningoffruitsandsproutingofve-

getables,permittingproducetobestoredforlongerperiodsoftime.Becauseirradiationin-

volvesminimalheating,ithasverylittleeffectonthetaste,texture,andnutritivevalueof

food.TheFDAfirstapprovedirradiationforuseonwheatandwheatflourin1963,andlater

approveditsuseonwhitepotatoes,spices,pork,somefreshproduce(onions,tomatoes,

mushrooms, and strawberries), and poultry. 204

Pasteurizationinvolvesheatingfoodstoacertaintemperatureforaspecifictimetokillharmful

microorganisms.Milk,wine,beer,andfruitjuicesareallroutinelypasteurized.Milk,forex-

ample,isusuallyheatedto145°F(63°C)for 30 minutes.Ultra-HighTemperature(UHT)

pasteurization,arelativelynewtechnique,isusedtosterilizefoodsforasepticpackaging.In

UHTpasteurization,foodsareheatedto280°F(138°C)for 2 to 4 seconds,allowingthe

foodtoretainmorenutrientsandbetterflavor. 205 ItisalittleknownfactthatLouisPasteur

(1822-1895),world-renownedFrenchchemistandbiologistwhowascreditedwithfounding

thescienceofmicrobiology,provingthegermtheoryofdisease,andinventingpasteuriza-

tion,actuallysaidthathehadmadeamistake.Onhisdeath-bedhesaidthathewaswrong

aboutthegermtheoryofdisease. 206 Infact,hisexperimentsrevealedthatdiseaseandflies

appearwhenheplacedrottenfoodsandothermaterialstoattractthem.Theywerenotattrac-

tedtohealthytissue.Again,whydopeoplenotdevelopstrepthroat,ortuberculosis(TB),

whicharesupposedly“caused”bybacteria(StreptococcusandMycobacteriumtuberculosis,

respectively)whicharecommonlyfoundinthebodyandtheenvironment?Whyisitthat

only certain people develop these and other diseases and others do not?

Geneticengineeringreferstoanydeliberatealterationofanorganism’sDNA.Geneticengineer-

inghasbeenpracticedforthousandsofyears,eversincehumansbeganselectivelybreeding

plantsandanimalstocreatemorenutritious,bettertastingfoods.Inthepasttwodecades,ge-

neticengineeringhasbecomeincreasinglypowerfulasscientificadvanceshaveenabledthe

directalterationofgeneticmaterial.Geneshavebeencutandpastedfromonespeciestoan-

other,yielding,forexample,disease-resistantsquashandrice,frost-resistantpotatoesand

strawberries, and tomatoes that ripen—and therefore spoil—more slowly. 207

Author’snote:Keepinmindthatthenatureofmoderngeneticengineering(availableinthelast 20
years)isdifferentthanwhatwasavailablebefore.Inthepast,thepossibilitiesforcrossbreeding