In the mission era the primary products were wheat, corn and other products grown in the mission fields, fruit (primarily in the south) and products made from cattle and sheep. The most lucrative product was a dried cattle hide, called Yankee Dollars.
In addition, irradiation is widely used to sterilize a variety of medical and household products, such as joint implants, band-aids, baby pacifiers, cosmetic ingredients, wine and bottle corks, and food packaging materials.o. Irradiation is equivalent to pasteurization for solid foods, but it is not the same as sterilization. Food irradiation can be an important tool in the war against illness and death from foodborne diseases. But it is not a substitute for comprehensive food safety programs throughout the food distribution system.
Irradiated blood products are used to prevent graft-vs-host disease in patients at risk. Many attempts have been made to develop blood substitutes using inert chemicals (eg, perfluorocarbons) or Hb solutions to carry and deliver oxygen to tissues.