Radiolysis products in irradiated foods: mechanisms, safety, regulation, and analytical control (analytical review)

Radiolysis products formed during radiation processing of foods are a central focus in the safety evaluation of food irradiation technologies. This review systematizes data on the mechanisms of radiolysis of the main food components (lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins) and the formation of specific low-molecular-weight compounds, including 2-alkylcyclobutanones, furans, organic acids, and other markers of radiation exposure.The toxicological characteristics of these compounds are examined in detail based on experimental studies from 1960 to 2025, including “in vitro” and “in vivo” models, multigenerational and subchronic experiments, clinical observations, and regulatory evaluations by FAO/WHO/IAEA, EFSA, FDA and national authorities. Particular attention is paid to 2-alkylcyclobutanones as specific radiolysis products of lipids, as well as to furan and acrylamide, which are formed predominantly during thermal processing.The paper provides an overview of international regulatory approaches to irradiated foods (EU, USA, countries of Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East), emphasizing that regulation is based mainly on process control (dose, list of authorized products, labelling) rather than on establishing maximum permissible concentrations of individual radiolysis products. There are described methods of analytical control, including chromatographic, spectroscopic, luminescent, and non-destructive approaches (hyperspectral imaging, multi-omics tools). It is shown that, when regulated irradiation doses are observed, the concentrations of radiolysis products do not pose an additional health risk compared with conventional technological processes.Contributions: Kuzmin S.V. – article concept and preparation; Rusakov V.N. – material collection and processing, writing, editing. All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.Funding. The study had no sponsorship.Received: October 27, 2025 / Revised: November 22, 2025 / Accepted: December 2, 2025/ Published: January 15, 2026