Gamma irradiation was applied to pork for improving its hygienic quality and evaluating its possible genotoxicity. The effective dose of irradiation was 3 kGy in pork for the sterilization of all contaminated microorganisms tested. After 8 weeks of storage at 5oC, no growth of microorganisms except for psychrophile and total aerobic bacteria was observed in the more than 3 kGy irradiated pork. The genotoxicity of high dose irradiated pork(30 kGy) was evaluated by Salmonella typhimurium reversion assay, chromosomal aberration test and in vivo micronucleus assay. The results were negative in the bacterial reversion assay with S. typhimurium TA98, TA100, TA1535, TA1537. In chromosomal aberration tests with CHL cells and in vivo mouse micronucleus assay, no significant difference in the incidences of chromosomal aberration and micronuclei was seen between nonirradiated and 30 kGy irradiated porks. These results indicate that 30 kGy irradiated pork did not show any genotoxic effects under these experimental conditions.