Pages: 213

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 20

Novel nonthermal food processing technologies (such as ohmic heating, ozonation, infrared heating, microwave (MW) heating, and pulsed electric fields (PEFs)) have already been commercially adopted in the food industry to deal with issues of rising competition, globalization, and increasingly dynamic and diverse consumer demands. Cold plasma (CP), plasmaactivated water (PAW), surface Raman spectroscopy, radiofrequency (RF) heating, and chlorine dioxide (ClO2) are still in the research stage and will make their way into commercial applications in the future. Food production and the supply system are under tremendous pressure due to the gap between academic research and industrial applications of food processing technologies. A close collaboration between university researchers and decision-makers in food industries is the need of the hour for new technological advancements and the creation of better food processing techniques for the future.

Pages: 15

Cold plasma (CP) technology consists of completely or moderately ionized gas containing neutral particles, free radicals, ions as well as electrons. On the basis of temperature, this plasma can be characterized as hot or thermal plasma (TP) and cold or non-thermal plasma (NTP). In food industries, CP has potential for its applications in microbial inhibition, enzyme inactivation, removal of pesticides, etc. In CP, the reactive species formed cause the effect on microbial cell that leads to the final inactivation of the microbial load. These reactive species cause damage to the cellular composition, damage to proteins by oxidizing them and also by damaging the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) of the cells thus leading to denaturation of microbial cell. Owing to these effects of the CP, this novel technology can be efficiently applied in treating polluted/contaminated water, sterilization of foods and packaging materials, and edible oil hydrogenation, reduction in the severity of food allergens, elimination of anti-nutritive factors, modifying seed sprouting process and controlling of food waste in the industries.

Pages: 22

Cold plasma (CP) technology has been expanded to the food industry as a potent tool for non-thermal processing in the recent decade, with a variety of uses. This chapter provides an overview of recent research on CP applications in the food industries. CP has also been used in fields such as hydrogenation of edible oils, food allergy mitigation, inactivation of anti-nutritional factors (ANFs), seed germination performance tailoring, and effluent control.

Pages: 15

Plasma systems and plasma engineering are emerging areas in the food industry. The necessity to embellish food health in microbial consistency, nutritional, and olfactory facets of food has built up a growing significance of this innovative method in the food industries. Non-thermal plasma (NTP) processing has a bigger effect on developing processes of production and packaging of food products.

Pages: 19

The fourth state of matter [also known as non-thermal plasma (NTP)] is produced by supplying energy to gas molecules, and it consists of highly reactive species and ions at ambient temperature. The cold plasma (CP) has been applied to the food products for decontamination of foods and surface modification. This chapter discusses the impact of CP on the beneficial effects of physical modification on foods. The physical modification is one of the productive approaches as a pretreatment, which alters the biological interactions and composition to enhance the properties of food material for further processing. Further research on CP-assisted physical modification in food processing will undoubtedly augment its applications in the food industry.

Pages: 27

Enhancement of food quality and shelf-life of foods has been a major concern for processed food manufacturers. Ultrasonication is considered to be an effective eco-friendly technology of high quality and productivity with minimum physical and chemical hazards. Various studies for maximizing cavitation activity in sample matrix with different experimental parameters include duration, temperature, frequency, power, etc. This chapter provides an insight into the mechanism of operation and effect of ultrasonication on food systems and highlights its various applications in the food systems, such as food preservation, filtration, drying, cooking, processing of fruits, vegetables, and meat, and enzyme technology. The use of ultrasonication in biomolecule extraction, food emulsion stability, and microbial inactivation in conjunction with other unit operations is also explained.

Pages: 30

Ultrasound waves are short waves produced by technological sources and are used in a number of applications in the industrial, medical, environmental, and food sectors. Ultrasound waves can be generated and detected by using different types of transducers that are discussed in this chapter. The chapter also deals with the importance and applications of ultrasound in various fields, such as nutraceuticals, food industry, meat preservation in large scale, pharmaceuticals, etc.

Pages: 21

Food spoilage causes undesirable changes in nutritional and sensory characteristics of food due to infestation by insects, growth and activity of microorganisms, moisture loss, chemical reactions, or enzymatic changes. Thermal treatments are used to inactive bacteria and increase the shelf-life of foods, and these are robust methods that can cause loss of food nutrients, volatile compounds, and flavors. In recent years, non-thermal technology has gained more importance due to the increase in demand for fresh-like food products with minimal changes in food preserving all its important nutrients and properties. Ultrasonication is a non-thermal technology having the potential alternative to thermal processing technologies. It is based on the frequency produced by sound waves with a range greater than human hearing capacity. It produces fresh quality foods with high nutritive value due to retention of nutrients and sensory properties.

Pages: 20

Thermosonication is a potential substitution to conventional thermal treatments. Thermosonication is the process of utilization of a combination of ultrasound (sonication) and heat. It can amplify the rate of inactivation of microbes and enzymes. This chapter summarizes the principle and mechanism of thermosonication. Further, the documentation of the effect and application of thermosonication on different food products has also been presented. Thermosonication requires further research studies for the purpose of industrial scale implementation along with the in-depth and clear interpretation of the effect of thermosonication on properties of food.

Pages: 17

The non-thermal techniques of food processing and preservation are gaining popularity because they can produce foods without loss of nutrients and sensory quality. Ultrasound technology, a non-thermal processing technique, is a promising alternative to thermal processing of foods. Both low intensity and high intensity ultrasonic waves have applicability in enhancing the performance of food unit operations and inactivation of enzymes, microbial cells, and spores. It is successfully being applied in drying, extraction, filtration, freezing, depolymerization, defoaming, and degassing, crystallization, and emulsification operations. When applied in combination with other non-thermal techniques and at higher temperatures, ultrasound performance is highly satisfactory. While other non-thermal techniques of food preservation suffer from drawbacks including cost of installation and inability to perform independently, ultrasound has been found to be free from those shortcomings if applied with care. With the improvement of transducers and better process design, ultrasound can emerge out as an alternative to thermal processing of foods.

Pages: 54

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 21

Microwave (MW) technology is the most emerging and promising technology used in the food industry, and it is popular due to more benefits than the conventional methods. Applications of MW-aided technique is enormously increasing in food processing since last two decades with successful industrial application, such as drying, ultra-sonication, ohmic heating, electron irradiation, MW-assisted freezing, MW-assisted OD, MW-assisted infrared heating, and MW-vacuum processing. MW technique also paved the way for various extraction processes of essential compounds. This chapter focuses on various aspects such as working principal of MW, instrumentality of MW, knowledge of equation which helps in modeling of MW and its application; dielectric properties of agricultural food material which leads to an effective understanding of controlled effect of MW on food material, baking, roasting, etc., are potential food application. In general, overall greater success of MW takes account of high thermal efficiency, shorter processing time, reduced operational cost and improved product quality will lead to greater quality and safety of different processed products in the food industry for tradition or futuristic food processing technologies.

Pages: 18

Microwave (MW) heating is an efficient thermal processing method in food processing with several advantages, such as uniform heating (when combined with other techniques), timesaving, energy-efficient, simple, and versatile design of equipment. MW processing has certain limitations, such as non-uniform heating or development of “hotspots” and unsuitable for large or thick food materials. The combination of the MW with other heating methods (such as freezing, convective drying, infrared drying, vacuum drying, ultrasound, plasma, and pulsed spout drying) is gaining special interest. Still in food processing, there is a need for an efficient method without damaging the quality characteristics. The chapter aims to highlight the applications of MW heating in various unit operations involved in food processing.

Pages: 12

Strawberries are nutritionally rich, with appreciated sensory characteristics. However, it is a highly perishable fruit, and the processing of the strawberry is recommended. Convective drying is the most traditional method for reducing the moisture content of a food. However, this process can be very time-consuming, consumes a large amount of electrical energy and can cause undesirable changes in the fruit properties, such as color change and degradation of vitamins and bioactive compounds.

Pages: 149

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 15

High-pressure processing (HPP) or ultra-high-pressure or high-hydrostaticpressure processing is a novel non-thermal processing method, an alternative to conventional thermal processes. HPP ensures product safety and quality, retaining color, flavor, and fresh appearance. HPP holds a promise for providing consumers with high quality, delicious, and fresh foods. This chapter focuses on the concept, principles, components, and types of HPP and its application in the food processing industry.

Pages: 29

Electrospinning is an effective tool for fabricating submicron to nano-scale fibers. Since the method avoids the application of any toxic chemical and severe temperature or pressure conditions, thus it ensures high efficacy. This technique uses biopolymers (such as proteins and carbohydrates) and some synthetic polymers due to their non-toxic, biodegradable, and biocompatible properties. Parameters including the solution parameters (viscosity, molecular weight of solution, conductivity of solution, and surface tension), processing conditions (solution flow rate, applied voltage, tip to collector distance) and ambient conditions (humidity and temperature) have significant effect on the quality of fibers formed thus all such parameters must be precisely controlled in order to produced desired results. The fibers fabricated by electrospinning have many merits as high surface to volume ratio, submicron to nano-scale diameter, desirable porosity, and tailored fiber morphology. The stabilization of nutraceuticals, involvement in active packaging and edible films, improving the viability of probiotic substances, immobilization of enzymes and construction of delivery systems are the few potential application of electrospinning. In spite of much research at laboratory scale, efforts are required to scale up this process for utilization by food industries.

Pages: 23

Encapsulation is a novel processing method to engulf the food bioactive compounds by using a membrane over it in the food production chain. A number of foodgrade or edible membrane or wall materials (like polysaccharides, proteins, etc.) are accessible from natural origin to use in this process. Research studies have been conducted for selection, optimization, and to improve the efficacy of encapsulation by applying different encapsulation techniques, such as: fluidized bed coating, spray drying, melt injection, etc. This chapter aims to document the need of encapsulation along with the benefits, different wall materials, methods of encapsulating food and encapsulates produced in the food industry. Encapsulation needs to be developed at a larger scale to produce food encapsulates according to the demand and requirement of the consumers to enhance shelf-life and fulfill the nutrition of individual bio-active compound.

Pages: 29

Texture and structure are important parameters in judging the final end quality of food products, or plant-/animal-/dairy-based or nondairy products. Since these products are categorized as highly perishable to semi-perishable due to the presence of high moisture content that promotes microbial growth thus leading to spoilage. In this context, freezing and thawing helps to retain the texture and structure of food products by converting the excessive moisture into ice crystals, thus making free water unavailable for the growth of microbes. In general, the freezing refers to the liberation of heat, which is mainly used to remove the field heat from the food produce, such as fruits and vegetables (FAV) after harvest, meat, and meat products after post- and pre-slaughter. On the other hand, the mechanism of thawing is the reverse of the freezing process. Both unit operations occur simultaneously in the food processing industries to maintain, to preserve the texture and structure of end-product.

Pages: 15

3D printing is carried out in different sectors like medical, clothing, architecture, packaging, education, biological tissue, commercial manufacturing; however, the application and implementation of 3D printing in the food industry is an ongoing process. 3D food printers are the application of 3D printers in which different forms of food materials can be extruded. This chapter focuses on the concept, principles, and different techniques of 3D food printing (3DFP) and its application in the food processing industry. The innovation in the 3DFP sector is growing up and needs further research related to the process and printing parameters.

Pages: 14

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is the preferred method for qualitative and quantitative detection of food contaminants, due to its high sensitivity to provide the desired portability, fast response, sensitivity, and specificity. The basic principle of ELISA involves molecular recognition between antigen and antibody, which is coupled to an enzyme assay. Antibody recognizes and binds to the selective target molecule. And the conjugated enzyme assay generates fluorescence colorless substrate, which is later detected as a signal and quantified. The entire process involves immobilization of an antigen to a surface, which is complexed with the antibody linked to an enzyme. Direct/indirect, sandwich, and competitive are different variants of ELISA to detect food contaminants. ELISA can be used to analyze the presence of infectious agents (such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus). The lowest level of detection of contaminants can be as low as one ppm for ELISA. The only demerit for ELISA is the sample preparation step, which extends its total analysis time. To validate the claim of ELISA as an alternative analysis tool for food safety, comparative studies need to be conducted.

Pages: 17

Nanotechnology (NT) poses a huge impact on foods by evolving the conventional technologies involved in food science and food processing. NT has overturned the food sector over the past few decades and has contributed several benefits like increased shelf-life, prevention from contamination and spoilage, improves quality of food products, etc. The emerging applications of NT in the area of food science and technology are the use of nanoparticles (NPs) in various operations like processing, packaging, development of functional foods, enhancement in food quality, improvement in food safety, detection in food-borne pathogens and shelf-life enhancement of food products. Another recent innovation of NT in food science is food nanosensing. Nano-sensing provides a better evaluation of food safety and quality parameters, resulting in the production of safe food and thus boost human health and well-being. Rapid development of NT is expected to transform many areas of food science and industry with increasing investment and market share by providing effective new methods to improve safety, textural, and sensory properties, and the nutritional value of food products.