Chapter: Food Processing and Technology
Food Processing
● It is the transformation of agricultural or animal products into food or of one form of food into other
forms by using physical or chemical methods.
● Shelf life: It is the period of time during which a food product remains safe for consumption.
Need of Food Processing and Preservation
● To remove inedible or harmful ingredients from food
● To subdivide food ingredients
● To convert food into various forms as desired by consumers
● To increase the shelf life of product
● To to decrease the prevalence of diseases such as heart, attack and diabetes
● To meet the changing consumer perception about food
Significance of food processing
● It helped India to progressed from an aggro deficit to an Agro surplus country
● Indian food industry ranks fifth in terms of size, contributing nearly 6% of GDP
● Increasing number of working women who opt for convenience food
● Increasing mobility and globalisation have increase the demand of various type of food products
Food Fortification
● It is a process of adding micronutrients to food at commercial level two enrich the properties of food.
● For example: Infant formula i.e., Cerelac
Basic concepts
Food Science: It is a broad discipline based on applied basic science such as chemistry, physics, culinary arts,
ergonomics and microbiology and is concerned with all the technical aspect of food beginning with harvesting
or slaughtering and ending with cooking and consumption.
Food Processing: Food processing is a branch of manufacturing in which raw materials are transformed into
intermediate food or edible products through the application of scientific knowledge and technology.
● It is a set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into finished and semi finished
products.
For example: Pasteurization of milk to increase its shelf life
Food Technology: It is the science and application of scientific as well as social, economic knowledge and
legal rules for production of different type of food product products.
Reason behind studying Food Technology
● Provides in depth knowledge
● Develops skills for selection
● Creating affordable food
Points to be Remembered
● High Risk food: Bacteria prefer protein rich food e.g., meat, eggs etc
● Danger Zone: bacteria grows at temperature between 5°C to 60°C.
● Canning Process(1810)-Nicolas Appert
● Pasteurisation (1864)- Louis Pasteur
Pasteurisation: the process of treating milk to destroy disease producing organisms.
63 °C for 30 minutes , 72 °C (162 °F), and holding for 15 seconds
Food Spoilage
It is a process in which food items deteriorate to the point from where they are not fit for human consumption.
Effects Causes
● loss of flavor ● best or infestation by insects
● Discolouration ● Inappropriate temperature for processing or
● Deteriorate of texture storage
● Unsafe for consumption ● Moisture content
● Presence of microorganisms Or pesticides
Methods of food processing: sun, freezing use of preservative, controlled fermentation
Classification of Food
Based on Perishability Based on Type of Processing
1. Perishable food (milk) 1. minimally processed food(Roasted nuts)
2. Semi-perishable food (Fruit) 2. Preserved food(Frozen Vegetables)
3. Non-perishable food (Wheat) 3. Manufactured food(Pickle)
4. Formulated food(Cake)
5. Food derivatives(Sugar From sugar cane)
6. Functional food(Probiotic)
7. Medical food(Oral rehydration products)
Classification of food based on Perishability
Perishable Food Semi-Perishable Food Non-Perishable Food
● spoils quickly ● spoils after sometime ● spoils after long duration
● Within one or two days ● Within 1 to 2 weeks ● Within or more than 1
For eg., Milk, Curd etc For e.g., fruits and vegetables years
For e.g., grains
Classification of food Based on Type of Processing
Minimally processed food ● Processed as little as possible
● Retain the quality of fresh food
Processes used: Refrigeration, trimming, cutting etc
For example: Sliced Fruits
Preserved food ● Preservation Helps to keep the food fresh till usage
● Does not change the character of the product substantially
Process used: Controlled temperature
For example: Frozen peas, canned fruits etc
Manufactured food Basic method of preservation used
Such as adding salt, sugar, oil or chemical preservatives
Changes the original characteristic of raw material
For example: Jam pickles etc
Formulated food prepared by mixing and processing of individual ingredient in fixed ratio
Prepared as per the need of Consumer
For example: Eggless cake
Food derivatives ● Conversion of raw product to new product
● Purification is one of the way to obtain the product
● Derivatives can be processed again to bring new product
For example: sugar from sugar cane
Functional foods ● Beneficial effect on human health
● It contains whole food or fortified food
● May contain supplements or added ingredients
For example: Probiotics
Medical food ● Used dietary management of diseases
● Can be processed as per the specific disease or treatment
For example: Low sodium salt
Career and Knowledge/Skills in Food Processing and Technology
Careers Skills and Knowledge Required
● Processing manufacturing ● Knowledge about food, science, food,
● Research development chemistry microbiology
● Food quality controller ● Analysis of Food, composition, quality and
● Regulatory affairs safety
● Consultancy ● Product specification
● Entrepreneurship development ● Sensory evaluation and acceptability
