Pages: 30

Feeding the increasing population around the globe is a major challenge. On the other hand, spoilage of significant amounts of food occurs during different stages of the food supply chain. To reduce this spoilage, development of preservation techniques is necessary to facilitate the transport of fresh produce and processed foods safely to proper destination. An abundance of natural or biopreservatives and their use in food preservation helps to avoid the detrimental health effects of synthetic preservatives. In this chapter, the authors discuss the preservative role (antimicrobial and antioxidant activity, impact on sensory property) of a large number of natural preservatives, along with their origins, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms, with the help of the existing literature. As an introductory chapter, the authors also provide a brief knowledge of microbial and oxidative damage that are the major causes of deterioration of various qualities of the food materials.

Pages: 19

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) processing is an emerging, novel, and non-thermal technology, which applies high pressure to bring about structural and functional changes in food products without affecting their quality attributes. This chapter deals with a brief introduction to HHP, explaining its principles and working mechanism. It focuses on the impact of HHP on food microorganisms, enzymes, food quality, and sensory attributes of food commodities, including seafood, fruit and vegetables, and dairy products. Furthermore, it presents a comprehensive review of the novel applications of HHP, such as pasteurization, blanching, osmotic dehydration, freezing, thawing, gelation, and extraction, in the food industry, including current developments and trends in HHP applications in the food industry. This technology has the potential for processing of food products, ensuring food safety and superior food quality.

Pages: 25

Emerging foodborne illnesses and quality losses due to conventional food preservation methods, there is a need for alternative food processing technologies that enhance shelf life of food with little or no effect on food quality. There is a rise in demand for minimally processed foods that preserve food freshness, quality, and nutritional profile. Cold plasma is one of the chemical-free and environment-friendly technologies that can inactivate microorganisms and food enzymes. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, along with ozone and ultraviolet radiations, formed in the plasma are responsible for food preservation. The efficiency of cold plasma technology depends on several factors, like the source of plasma, the mode of application, the duration of treatment, and the nature of the substrate. Cold plasma technology has shown promise for large-scale commercial application in food preservation.

Pages: 17

Food processing and preservation play a primary role in achieving the demands of food for feeding the increased population. Food contains bioactive compounds that are heat sensitive and may not sustain in conventional thermal processing. The conventional thermal processing is less energy efficient, having low drying rates and high drying times. In recent years, many novel technologies are developed to overcome these problems. Ultrasound technology is a novel green and innovative technique that has a lethal effect on the microorganism and enzymes without altering the nutritional and organoleptic properties of the food materials. The literature reports that the lethality of ultrasound is greater when combined with the effects of pressure and mild thermal processing. This chapter discusses the principles mechanisms and food preservation application of ultrasound technology and its effects on food. Although this technology is gaining popularity for application in liquid foods, mainly milk and fruit juices, future research and development are needed to expand it application in other foods.

Pages: 46

Dense phase carbon dioxide (DPCO2) processing is among the most effective nonthermal technologies for microbial inactivation in foods. This process involves exposing foods to pressurized CO2 mainly to inactivate microorganisms. DPCO2 is effective not only in microbial inactivation but also in enzyme inactivation. Therefore, DPCO2 has great potential as an alternative to conventional thermal processes to produce safe and high-quality food products with extended shelf lives. A significant amount of scientific information has been accumulated in literature on its application in various foods in different systems. This chapter begins with discussing the basic principles of DPCO2, its effects on microorganisms, enzymes, and food quality, and then potential applications in liquid and solid foods are discussed by reviewing the current literature on them and ends with a discussion of other treatments or technologies that can be combined with DPCO2 to further increase its potential applications in food preservation.

Pages: 21

At present, the shelf lives of food products are a prime concern of the manufacturers. Food industries now prefer ‘greener’ substitutes over existing technologies for preservation. Hence, ozone-based food preservation has emerged as an attractive environment-friendly option for the food industry. Ozone decomposes rapidly and leaves little residue on food items during food preservation after treatment. Ozone is also the second-most popular disinfectant of water and is frequently used to decontaminate equipment surfaces. In recent years, ozone as an antimicrobial agent has also gained popularity in handling fruits and vegetables. This chapter reviews the current state-of-the-art use of ozone in the food industry. The benefits versus the risks of the technology are discussed, and a perspective on how the available knowledge can lead to the most reasonable use of ozone to increase the shelf lives and stability of food products is shared.

Pages: 40

Customer demand for more natural and healthier foods devoid of chemical preservatives is rising, and therefore, more research is focusing on extending the shelf lives of such products using preservation treatments and processes that do not involve heat as in conventional thermal treatment. Nonthermal technologies are being intensively studied and commercialized for food processing. One such technology is the application of ultraviolet (UV) light, as UV radiation has excellent germicidal properties, and employing it to disinfect food is a promising preservation approach. However, further research is required to understand the effectiveness of this processing method for its wide range of industrial applications. This chapter deals with the fundamentals and basic principles of commercially existing or in-progress UV-light technology and its uses in food processing, generation, and sources. Factors impacting the efficacy of UV treatment, UV light-induced microbial inactivation mechanisms, and kinetics are also discussed. It also gives an overview of food processing by UV treatment and its effects on food quality, nutrients, and sensory properties. The engineering aspects of UV systems for various applications and their future potential in the food processing industry are also discussed.

Pages: 62

Gamma irradiation is a nonthermal food preservation technology, in which food is exposed to short energy waves to accomplish objectives such as disinfestation of insects, inhibition of sprouting and spoilage, eradication of foodborne parasites and pathogens from foods, and enhancement of shelf lives of food and agro products. This chapter discusses the fundamentals of gamma-irradiation of foods, the mechanism of action of gamma radiation in food materials, the essentials of radiation processing of foods, the radiation-induced alterations in agro commodities, and food products. An overview of the features of gamma-radiation processing plants worldwide and commercial applications of gamma-irradiation technology in food processing and preservation and the limitations of gamma processing of foods are emphasized, and the future perspectives of this technology are also presented.

Pages: 24

Ohmic heating (OH) has been proved to be an efficient alternative to conventional heating for the preservation of food. This chapter aims at providing a comprehensive evaluation on recent advancements in this field. It begins with a brief overview explaining the rationale behind the topic followed by a state-of-the-art review on mechanism of thermal and nonthermal lethal action and the effects of different variables on the performance of the process. The process efficiency was evaluated in terms of parameters, such as a reduction of spoilage and pathogenic microbial load, inactivation of quality degrading enzymes, and intactness of sensory and functional properties of food, among others. Finally, the chapter ends with a discussion on managing the challenges associated with OH.

Pages: 26

Preservation not only reduces the water activity (aw) of food materials but also inhibits microbial growth, enhances shelf life, and reduces packaging and transportation costs. Currently, researchers are focusing on the production of low carbon footprint technologies. However, conventional preservation treatments produce a large volume of environmental waste. Microwave has been proved to be a rapid, eco-friendly, and energy-efficient treatment. This treatment can destroy many foodborne pathogens and enzymes (polyphenol oxidase and phenol oxidase) entirely without altering the quality. In this chapter, various preservation techniques using microwaves, such as blanching, pasteurization, cold plasma treatment, freezing, and drying, are extensively reviewed along with the kinetics studies. Various process parameters showed different impacts on food materials. The combined effect of microwaves with other conventional treatments helps produce good-quality products. Still, microwave treatment for industrial purposes requires more knowledge about process parameters and the equipment involved in the processing technology.

Pages: 20

Infrared radiation is a type of electromagnetic wave having a wavelength range of 0.78–1000 µm. The application of infrared heating for drying, blanching, pasteurization, disinfestation, and enzyme inactivation, roasting, baking and cooking of food materials is gaining popularity owing to its potential and several advantages such as faster heat treatment, higher heat transfer capacity, uniform heating, better process control and higher retention of bioactive components as compared to traditional food processing techniques. In this chapter, the principles and mechanism of infrared heating, the interaction of infrared radiation with foods, its comparison with hot-air heating and various factors affecting infrared heating are discussed. The infrared-assisted enzyme inactivation in green spices, dry blanching and hybrid drying of vegetables, effects on microorganism, the refractance window drying of fruits, cooking, freezing, roasting, baking, sterilization and the effect of infrared on nutritional qualities, color, texture, sensory properties, microstructure and retention of bioactive properties are also discussed.

Pages: 18

Applications of nanotechnology have emerged with the increased use of nanoparticles and their formulations in various fields of food sciences and preservations. Food preservation refers to the approaches through which food is kept protected from spoilage during handling and storage. The advancement of new technology like nanotechnology has changed many areas of food science, especially food processing, packaging, storage, transportation, functionality, and other safety aspects. Nanotechnology has become highly potential and possesses novel properties to overcome the limitations of conventional methods of food preservation like drying, freezing, salting, irradiation, fermentation, pulse electric field, and others. Researchers have explored strategies like edible coating, nanoparticle coating, nano-emulsion in nanocoating, and nanocomposites in the case of fruit management during postharvest and found helpful in shelf-life enhancements without affecting the phytochemical properties of fruits and others. This chapter aims to find out the applications of nanocoatings in the field of food science with special reference to shelf-life enhancement and their potential impact on human health and future trends.

Pages: 28

Food packaging has advanced from a simple glass or metal container in the past to an environment responsive and intelligent today to meet the common primary goal of every stakeholder in the food supply value chain that ensures the quality and the safety of the food items. Apart from the conventional function of product protection and acting as an inert barrier against the environment, modern-day packaging offer features like antimicrobial, oxygen and ethylene scavenging, carbon dioxide absorbers/emitters, aroma emitters, ripeness indicators, and biosensors, as well as sensors that can provide information about quality, monitor, and communicate on the history of the product. Recent research has shown the potential benefit of nanotechnology in food packaging applications. Nanoparticles not only improve the properties of conventional packaging, but they also actively demonstrate antimicrobial, scavenging, and improved sensitivity in the case of sensors. This chapter gives a perspective on the stakeholder’s incentives to minimize food waste, recent emerging trends in nano-enabled packaging are intended for food packaging applications, safety regulation on the nanoparticle-containing food packaging, and future prospects.

Pages: 11

Laws and regulations are essential to govern each and every step of food processing that culminates into a global food chain. This chapter is a synoptic account of contemporary regulations on applications of novel food processing technologies, particularly in countries like the US, certain EU countries, and India. With the development and applications of novel and nonthermal food processing technologies, regulations appliable to such technologies also need updated in order to ensure safe foods that consistently fulfill consumers’ needs. Prior to commercialization, a novel food-processing technology and/or ingredient needed approval from the concerned legislature. Dosages of irradiation, ultraviolet light and ozonation, and pressure and duration of high-pressure processing of food, and so on are regulated by various countries depending on the food item(s) to be processed. Legislations are being formulated for novel food-processing technologies like ultrasonication, pulsed light, cold plasma processing, and others. However, mandating these novel food-processing technologies through legislative control is complex, time-taking, costly, and may vary widely between different categories of foods, different regions of the globe, different countries, and even between different areas of a country. The harmonization of food safety regulations is a major challenge to maintaining consistency, minimizing trade barriers, reducing food wastage, and ensuring safe food within and across international borders. Several guidelines to implement food safety management systems by food manufacturers across the globe are significant contributors to these harmonization efforts.