As Ruslan Vazirov and Irina Selezneva explained, it is too early to talk about the use of technology in production.
Photo Credit: Artem Shevelev
Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: Low-Dose Radiation and Lactic Acid Bacteria
The Core Concept: Exposing lactic acid bacteria to extremely low doses of X-ray radiation induces a stress response that increases their enzymatic activity. This heightened activity can accelerate biological processes, such as the maturation of yogurt.
Key Distinction/Mechanism: Rather than destroying or inhibiting the bacteria, low-dose radiation (60 to 120 cGy) triggers an adaptive stress response that enhances cellular work and may prepare the organisms to survive much harsher environmental conditions.
Major Frameworks/Components:
- Radiation Doses: Application of 60, 80, and 120 centigrays (cGy), which is equivalent to 300 to 500 years of natural background radiation.
- Target Organisms: Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and baker's leaven.
- Biological Response: Altered enzymatic activity that effectively accelerates starter culture maturation.
Branch of Science: Radiation Biology, Microbiology, Food Science, and Experimental Physics.
Future Application: Developing industrial applications to optimize global food production and exploring methods to prime biological organisms for survival in extreme radiation environments (such as subsequent exposure to higher doses).
Why It Matters: The study provides foundational proof that small radiation doses can positively stimulate bacteria. While not yet ready for industrial scaling, identifying the optimal dose could lead to significant efficiency improvements in food processing and deepen our understanding of radiobiological stress responses.
According to Ural Federal University experts, extremely small doses of X-ray radiation cause bacteria to work more actively, and such "stress" likely prepares the bacteria for survival in harsh conditions. The researchers published the results of the experiments on lactic acid bacteria and leaven in the International Journal of Radiation Biology. The work was supported by the Priority 2030 program.
Scientists tested various doses of radiation—60, 80, and 120 cGy (a dose that would take 300–500 years to accumulate from natural background radiation)—on baker's leaven (previously) and beneficial lactic acid bacteria (Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus), which are used in the food industry to produce thermostatic yogurts in particular. Experiments have shown that the enzymatic activity of the starter changes; in other words, the yogurt matures faster.
"The main goal for the future is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the effects of low doses of radiation on biological objects. We want to understand how such 'stress' can be used to prepare the body for survival in harsh conditions, for example, with subsequent exposure to higher doses, and where else, besides the food industry, such an effect can be usefully applied," says Ruslan Vazirov, one of the study's authors and a senior researcher at the UrFU Department of Experimental Physics.
Scientists warn that it is too early to discuss the use of irradiators in production on an industrial scale.
"So far, we have not come up with a ready-made technology for factories, but we have only proved that radiation in small doses has a positive effect on bacteria. Now we are looking for a middle ground: what kind of dose to give in order to get the desired result, and we are looking into exactly what happens to the bacteria. It is too early to talk about the exact figures of savings or efficiency. Only when we study all the processes in detail will we be able to think about the application. But since yogurts are produced all over the world, this method can be used in any country in the future," adds Irina Selezneva, one of the study's authors and an associate professor in the Department of Organic Synthesis Technology.
Published in journal: International Journal of Radiation Biology
Authors: Emmanuel Kormla Danyo, Darya Andreevna Zhuravleva, Ruslan Albertovich Vazirov, Feyisayo O. Adepoju, Maria Igorevna Tokareva, and Irina Stanislavovna Selezneva
Source/Credit: Ural Federal University | Delfina Zakharova
Edited by: Scientific Frontline
Reference Number: bio070926_01
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