Thermal Technologies in Food Processing (Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition)

Thermal technologies have long been at the heart of food processing. The application of heat is both an important method of preserving foods and a means of developing texture, flavour and colour. An essential issue for food manufacturers is the effective application of thermal technologies to achieve these objectives without damaging other desirable sensory and nutritional qualities in a food product. Edited by a leading authority in the field, and with a distinguished international team of contributors, Thermal technologies in food processing addresses this major issue. Part one of the collection begins with reviews of conventional retort and continuous heat technologies. Part two then looks at the key issues of effective measurement and control in ensuring that a thermal process is effective whilst minimising any undesirable changes in a food. There are chapters on temperature and pressure measurement, validation of heat processes, modelling and simulation of thermal processes, and the measurement and control of changes in a food during thermal processing. The final part of the book looks at emerging thermal technologies which becoming more widely used in the food industry. There are chapters on radio frequency heating, microwave processing, infrared heating, instant and high-heat infusion, and ohmic heating A final chapter considers how thermal processing may be combined with high pressure processing in producing safe, minimally-processed food products. Thermal technologies in food processing provides food manufacturers and researchers with an authoritative review of thermal processing and food quality.