by Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan, Kai Knoerzer
Food
process engineering, a branch of both food science and chemical
engineering, has evolved over the years since its inception and still is
a rapidly changing discipline. While traditionally the main objective
of food process engineering was preservation and stabilization, the
focus today has shifted to enhance health aspects, flavour and taste,
nutrition, sustainable production, food security and also to ensure more
diversity for the increasing demand of consumers.
The
food industry is becoming increasingly competitive and dynamic, and
strives to develop high quality, freshly prepared food products. To
achieve this objective, food manufacturers are today presented with a
growing array of new technologies that have the potential to improve, or
replace, conventional processing technologies, to deliver higher
quality and better consumer targeted food products, which meet many, if
not all, of the demands of the modern consumer. These new, or
innovative, technologies are in various stages of development, including
some still at the R&D stage, and others that have been
commercialised as alternatives to conventional processing technologies.
Food
process engineering comprises a series of unit operations traditionally
applied in the food industry. One major component of these operations
relates to the application of heat, directly or indirectly, to provide
foods free from pathogenic microorganisms, but also to enhance or
intensify other processes, such as extraction, separation or
modification of components. The last three decades have also witnessed
the advent and adaptation of several operations, processes, and
techniques aimed at producing high quality foods, with minimum
alteration of sensory and nutritive properties. Some of these innovative
technologies have significantly reduced the thermal component in food
processing, offering alternative nonthermal methods.
Food Processing Technologies: A Comprehensive Review, Three Volume Set
covers the latest advances in innovative and nonthermal processing,
such as high pressure, pulsed electric fields, radiofrequency, high
intensity pulsed light, ultrasound, irradiation and new hurdle
technology. Each section will have an introductory article covering the
basic principles and applications of each technology, and in-depth
articles covering the currently available equipment (and/or the current
state of development), food quality and safety, application to various
sectors, food laws and regulations, consumer acceptance, advancements
and future scope. It will also contain case studies and examples to
illustrate state-of-the-art applications. Each section will serve as an
excellent reference to food industry professionals involved in the
processing of a wide range of food categories, e.g., meat, seafood,
beverage, dairy, eggs, fruits and vegetable products, spices, herbs
among others.
- Comprehensive:
Offering readers a ‘one-stop’, comprehensive resource for access to a
wealth of information to fully support their research and activities in
this area and a critical insight into the future direction of the field
- Clearly
structured: Meticulously organized, with case studies, examples and
illustrations of state-of-the-art applications for each processing
technology, it is the ideal resource for students, researchers and
professionals to find relevant information quickly and easily and
understand how new and emerging technologies may be commercialized
- Interdisciplinary:
Chapters written by academics and practitioners from various fields and
regions will ensure that the knowledge within is easily understood by
and applicable to a large audience
- Multimedia
Features: Hyperlinked references and further readings, cross-references
and widgets will allow readers to easily navigate a wealth of
information, as well as the inclusion of various multimedia tools
Inclusion in the Reference Module in Food Science will ensure that
content remains perpetually up-to-date, allowing readers to access the
latest authoritative information immediately
