Joseph Borsa

Technology Supplier Perspective

Radiation Processing of Horticultural Products

Joseph Borsa, Ph.D.

MDS Nordion

Presented at USDA Irradiation Workshop for Horticulturalists

Sacramento, California

November 30, 2004

In this presentation……A little bit about MDS Nordion….who we are Radiation processing of horticultural products What’s driving it forward Some key technical considerations

Focus on some of our products suitable for this purposeEconomic basics of irradiation / overviewBarriers / impediments to implementation MDSN initiatives to help overcome them

This will be a broadbrush picture…..presenting irradiation in the context of an enabling technology, that is an integral part of the “agricultural export infrastructure”

MDS Nordion….

…..the premier technology supplier serving the radiation processing industry

MDS Nordion….A little closer lookTechnology company based on nuclear science “Science Advancing Health” tagline says it allThree main areas of business Industrial irradiation Therapy systems Radiopharmaceuticals

Over 40 years in businessCurrently about 1000 employees worldwideOur core products: hardware / know-how / supplies / serviceHundreds of installed cobalt-based therapy systems around worldMajor supplier of radiopharmaceuticals for nuclear medicine

applications Over 120 cobalt-60 powered industrial irradiation facilities in

service around the world

Our interest in food irradiation

Goes back for decadesNational and international scenesSupported and promoted it in a variety of ways “Missionary” type of education activities promoting the

technology Prepare and file petitions for regulatory clearance Support R&D Developed state-of-the-art technology systems to meet the

stringent processing demands for treating food

Technology supplier to the first irradiator in the USA dedicated to food irradiation (former Vindicator)

Radiation processing of horticultural products……

Why irradiate horticultural products?

Disinfestation for quarantine security purposes This is the main driver today

Sprout inhibition Various tubers /potatoes/onions/garlic/yams/? A secondary driver currently / significant need in this area

Enhancement of food safety and extension of shelf-life Fruits and vegetables linked to outbreaks of food-borne illness Growing interest in using irradiation to deal with this problem

It’s effective and it leaves the products raw and fresh Not yet a major driver, but this could change Dose for this purpose is roughly 10-fold higher than for the other

two applications

Radiation disinfestation “adds value”

It helps convert agricultural surpluses into exportable products that can be sold in international markets, providing an economic boost for farming communities and agricultural economies

This represents major “added value”

Why radiation disinfestation? Fast and convenient Treatment is fast / product is ready to use immediately after

treatment No ‘aeration’ holding time required Not affected by temperature or humidity No water dipping which can spread microbial contamination Can be done with product already packed in shipping cases No hazardous chemicals

Effective For a variety of pests For a variety of product types Closest we’re likely to get to a “universal” disinfestation technology

Ideal disinfestation technology for central system integrated into the agricultural export infrastructure

Locate at point of egress from a production region

Some key technical considerations…..

Source option considerations Choice of photons (gamma rays, x-rays) or particulate radiation (electrons)

Basically “radiation is radiation” in terms of effects.They all do the job, once the dose is delivered

Each has its advantages and limitations

They have different penetration characteristics

Photons allow you to process even large objects

Individual fruits or vegetables Packages and stacks of packages

Agricultural products come in different sizes and shapes….

All types need to be treated

The radiation must reach all parts of all products

Photons can treat all sizes of individual products, i.e. anything from cherries to watermelons

To illustrate…….

Comparison of Dose Distributions

Thickness = 3.7 inches

10 Mev electrons 1 sided

10 Mev electrons 2 sided

Photons

Pretend this is a papaya or mango or grapefruit or ?

More dose distribution comparisons

Electrons1 sided

Electrons2 sided

Photons

Item for irradiation~ 1.5 inches thick

‘Take home lesson’ from the dose distribution examples Photons (gamma rays or x-rays) allow delivery of a

uniform dose to a variety of sizes and shapes of food items

Electrons can be used to treat thin layers of product, but they cannot be used on objects greater than about 3 inches in thickness

Although the pictures were for meat products of various sorts, the dose distributions for treatment of different sized fruits would be similar to those seen with the meat products

Gamma and X-rays are both useful

Both can do the job

Technically the two are the same Effects of both on pests and product are identical Both have excellent penetration characteristics

Gamma ray systems are much simpler Decay is continuous

Gamma sources generally cost less for the power range required for disinfestation / lower capital cost

Gamma Processing CharacteristicsFunctional Requirement Gamma Capability

1 Ability to process a variety of products having a range of sizes and shapes.

Gamma can treat the entire gamut of sizes and shapes characteristic of agricultural commodities……..anything from cherries to watermelons.

2 Good dose uniformity over the entire processed lot of product.

Gamma can deliver a DUR of 1.5: 1, or better, in commercial product packs of all sizes, including pallet loads.

3 Convenient and economical interface with existing operations (packaging, transport)

Gamma can accommodate most existing packaging types and dimensions. The ability to treat fully loaded pallets provides a seamless interface with the distribution and warehousing system.

4 Reliability and system availability Gamma is intrinsically very simple. This translates into very high reliability and system availability.

5 Cost effectiveness Gamma's simplicity and scalability makes it very cost effective. You only install as much cobalt as you need, and install more when you need it.

The question of community acceptance of gamma systems…

Community acceptability of gamma facilities

Approximately 160 gamma-based teletherapy machines in hospitals all across America

Hundreds of research irradiators in labs across the country

Over 50 full scale production irradiators across the land

including some new ones

This attests to the general acceptance of gamma systems by society

Puerto RicoService

In-house

GAMMA FACILITIES IN USA

Puerto RicoService

In-house

GAMMA FACILITIES IN USA

Economic basics of gamma irradiators…….

Economics: capital cost estimate

Capital Cost of Pallet Irradiator for Disinfestation

(Illustrative only)

Component Cost range

(Million $ US)

Irradiator 3.0 5.0*Product conveying system

*Source operating mechanism

*Control and safety interlocks

Biological shield 0.8 1.5

Cobalt-60 0.5 1.0

Total 4.3 7.5

Land, warehouses, office space is not included.

Biological shield is constructed by local contractor

to MDS Nordion specifications.

Economics: unit processing costOperating Cost of Disinfestation Irradiator

(Illustrative only)

Operating and Facility Parameters

Capital cost 5775 k$ USThroughput 300 million lbs per yearDmin 0.15 kGyInstalled cobalt-60 0.27 MCiOperation per yr 7000 Hrs

Operating Costs (k$ US)

Capital depreciation $578 10 yr st lineCost of capital $347 Int or op cost @ 6%Replenishment cobalt $69Personnel incl labour $485 RSO,Mgr,QA,Maint,Ops,labourUtilities $25Overhead $200 Ins, spare parts, misc

Total $1,703 per year

Unit processing cost: 0.57 cents per lb

Unit processing cost vs annual throughput

Processing cost vs throughput

0.00

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

6.00

7.00

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

Throughput (million pounds per yr)

Cen

ts p

er lb

Reference case

Economics summaryIrradiation is a capital intensive technology Typical systems run in the several million dollar range for

capital cost

Economics are favored by high throughputs Fixed costs are a major component of annual operating cost Unit processing costs are strongly dependent on volume

At sufficiently high throughput, they can be in the penny or two per pound range, or even less

Idle capacity is expensive Need to match system capacity to throughput needs

Gamma allows this easily Need to have ability to grow

Gamma allows this easily

MDS Nordion irradiators suitable for horticultural products……..

Key requirements in selecting an irradiation system……

MUST be able to process pallet loads We have non-pallet systems, but I will not talk about them

here

Product quality must not be compromised DUR capability must be low enough that the resulting

Dmax does not exceed the tolerance dose for the product Tolerable DUR is product-specific

Economics Low processing cost per lb / high throughput Capital cost must be affordable

MDS Nordion offers a choice….

For those products that can tolerate a fairly high DUR Parallel row pallet irradiator optimized to give the lowest

possible processing cost / highest capacity and most favorable processing economics

For those products that are more sensitive and require a tighter DUR

A new system, the Quadura, optimized to give the lowest possible DUR and the greatest flexibility, with still excellent processing economics

Parallel row pallet irradiator

• ~500 million pounds per year at 0.15 kGy

•16 pallets in chamber

•Nominal processing cost < 0.5 cent a pound

•DUR 2.50:1 at 0.40 g per cm3

•Cobalt use: > 50 poundsproduct processed per penny worth of cobalt consumed

Quadura …..pallet irradiator

QUADURA IRRADIATOR

STORAGE AREA

MAZE CONVEYORS

RADIATION SHIELDPartial view

IRRADIATORMECHANISM

QUADURA IRRADIATOR

TURNTABLETRANSFER TRAY ASS’Y

ADJUSTABLEAPERTURES (4X)

FOUR ROTATINGPRODUCT STACKS

COBALT 60ENERGY SOURCE

Quadura pallet irradiatorDUR < 1.5:1 for densities up to 0.6 g per cm3

Capacity up to ~ 300 million pounds per year at 0.15 kGy

Each pallet independently processed Maximum flexibility

Nominal processing cost < 1 cent a pound

Cobalt use: ~20 lbs of product processed for 1 cent worth of cobalt consumed ( at maximum capacity)

So what will it take to move forward?

Barriers to implementation of irradiation for disinfestation……..

And some initiatives MDS Nordion as a supplier to this industry is undertaking to help overcome them

Barriers to implementation

Regulatory restrictions USDA-APHIS umbrella regulation in place, but detailed

working agreements still needed before products can flow

High capital cost poses significant entry barrier Some budding enterprises find it difficult to raise the startup

capital

Logistical difficulties in providing service for distributed farming areas

Transportation required prior to irradiation Must be able to process product after it has been packaged for

transportation

Processing capacity not available New capacity needs to be built where needed

Problem: High capital cost poses significant entry barrier

Our initiative……

Convert part of the upfront capital cost of the irradiator into a processing charge based on the revenue stream generated by operation of the facility

This lowers the financial barrier for entry

It also shares the risk between the principal stakeholders

Problem: Logistical difficulties relating to transport to irradiation facility

Our response…..

We now offer a choice of two high performance pallet irradiation systems to meet the needs of the horticultural industry. This permits seamless integration of the irradiation facility into the normal transportation and distribution system used to get the product to market

Problem: Lack of processing capacity where needed

Our answer….

We’ll work with suitable counterparts from the horticultural industry to help make it happen

Summary and ConclusionRadiation disinfestation has an important role to

play as an integral part of the ‘agricultural export infrastructure’ serving a particular farming region

Irradiation systems are industrial facilities requiring multi-million dollar investments

Unit processing costs of less than a penny a pound are achievable at suitably high annual throughputs

Radiation disinfestation represents a ‘value added’ process. The magnitude of this added value can be very significant

State-of-the-art irradiators can process product on pallets, making it easy to integrate irradiation into the normal product transport and distribution system

Thank you !