Processing Effects on Safety and Quality of Foods

Covers a Host of Groundbreaking Techniques

Thermal processing is known to effectively control microbial populations in food, but the procedure also has a downside?it can break down the biochemical composition of foods, resulting in a marked loss of sensory and nutritional quality. Processing Effects on Safety and Quality of Foods delineates three decades of advances made in processing techniques that produce microbiologically safe foods, while maintaining their sensory and nutritive properties.

With an international team of more than 35 renowned contributors, this book presents evaluation techniques that yield reliable estimations of microbiological, physicochemical, nutritive, and sensory characteristics. Each chapter discusses the processing effects of relevant technologies and includes the basics of microbial kinetics, sensory evaluation, and the perception of food quality.

A sampling of the techniques covered:

• Hermetically sealed containers
• Acrylamide formation
• Dried foods
• Irradiated foods
• Pressure-assisted thermal processing
• Pulsed electric field processing

Processing Effects on Safety and Quality of Foods addresses the entire food processing industry, including food modeling, optimization, and proper design of manufacturing plants. It is the first of its kind?a single, sound reference that explores all of the different aspects involved in evaluating processing effects in food safety and quality.

Enrique Ortega-Rivas, Ph.D., is a professor at the Autonomous University of Chihuahua in Mexico. He holds a Visiting Scientist appointment at Food Science Australia and a Visiting Lectureship at Monash University in Australia. Dr. Ortega-Rivas was named a Fulbright Scholar while an Adjunct Associate Professor at Washington State University. He also received National Researcher status – maximum recognition that the Mexican government bestows on those in academia based on research efforts and endeavors.