Identification of irradiated prawn (Penaeus monodon ) using thermoluminescence and 2-alkylcyclobutanone analyses

Thermoluminescence (TL) and 2-alkylcyclobutanone (2-ACB) analyses were performed to identify irradiated prawns ( Penaeus monodon ). With the TL method, minerals were extracted from prawns using acid hydrolysis. The experimental results satisfied the evaluation criteria of European Norm (EN) 1788, even after low-dose irradiation (0.5 kGy) and a 60 day storage at -20 °C. With the 2-ACB method, 2-dodecylcyclobutanone (2-DCB) and 2-tetradecylcyclobutanone (2-TCB) were successfully extracted from prawns by direct solvent extraction with purification using a conventional silica column and a sulfoxide column, which was used for 2-ACB for the first time. Both 2-ACB derivatives were absent from the non-irradiated samples but were identified in all irradiated samples by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Moreover, 2-DCB and 2-TCB production correlated with the applied dose (2.5-10 kGy), and the correlation did not diminish after 60 days of storage at -20 °C for any dose. Therefore, these two techniques provide rapid, simple, and promising methods for routine investigation of frozen prawns.