EASTERN VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Burauen Campus
Burauen, Leyte

FSM 335

FOOD PROCESSING, PACKAGING AND LEARNING 1

I. OVERVIEW OF FOOD PROCESSING

 Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw
ingredients into food or food into other forms for consumption by humans or
animals either in the home or by the food processing industry.
 Food processing is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of
one form of food into other forms.
 Food processing typically takes clean, harvested crops or slaughtered or
butchered animal products and uses these products to produce attractive,
marketable, and often long-life food products.

History

Food processing dates back to prehistoric ages, with crude processing

methods that included slaughtering, fermenting, sun drying, preserving with salt, and
various means of cooking (such as roasting, smoking, steaming and oven baking).
Salt preservation was especially common for foods that constituted the diets of
warriors and sailors. Evidence for the existence of these methods can be found in
the writings of the ancient Greek, Chaldean Egyptian and roman civilizations as well
as archaeological evidence from Europe, North, and South America.

These tried and tested processing techniques remained essentially the same
until the advent of industrial revolution.

Modern food processing technology developed in the 19 th and 20th centuries

was developed in a large part to serve military needs.

In 1809 Nicolas Appert invented a hermetic bottling technique that would

preserve food for the French troops which ultimately contributed to the development
of tinning, and subsequently canning by Peter Durand in 1810. Although initially
expensive and somewhat hazardous due to the lead used in cans, canned good
would later become a staple around the world.

Pasteurization, discovered by Loius Pasteur in 1864, improved the quality and

safety of preserved foods and introduces the wine, beer, and milk preservation.

In the 20th century, the rising consumer society in developed countries

contributed to the growth of food processing with such advances as spray drying
evaporation, juice concentrates, freeze drying and the introduction of artificial
sweeteners, colouring agents, and such preservatives as sodium benzoate.
 In the late 20th century, products such as dried instant soups, reconstituted
fruits and juices and self cooking meals such as MRE Food ration were developed.
By the 20th century, automatic appliances like microwave oven, blender paved way
for convenience cooking.

In Western Europe and North America, the second half of the 20 th century
witnessed a rise in the pursuit of convenience. Food processing companies
marketed their products especially towards middle-class working wives and mothers.

Classification of Food Processing

 Primary Food processing turns agricultural products, such as raw wheat

kernels or livestock, into something that can eventually be eaten. This
category includes ingredients that are produced by ancient processes such as
drying, threshing, shelling nuts and butchering animals for meat. It also
includes deboning and cutting meat, freezing and smoking fish and meat,
extracting and filtering oil.

Contamination and spoilage problems in primary food processing can lead to

significant public health threats. However, many forms of processing contribute to
improved shelf life before the food spoils. Commercial food processing uses control
systems such as HACCP (Hazard analysis and critical control points) and FMEA
(Failure mode and effects analysis) to reduce the risk of harm.

 Secondary food processing is the everyday process of creating food from

ingredients that are ready to use. Baking bread, regardless of whether it is
made at home, in a small bakery or factory, fermenting fish, making wine,
beer and other alcoholic products are traditional forms of secondary food
processing. Most of the secondary food processing methods are commonly
known to human kind are commonly described as cooking methods.
 Tertiary Food processing is the commercial food production of what is
commonly called processed food. These are ready-to-eat or heat-and-serve
foods.

Benefits and drawbacks

 Benefits of food processing include:

1. Toxin removal, preservation, easing marketing and distribution tasks, and

increasing food consistency. In addition, it increases yearly availability of many
foods, enables transportation of delicate perishable foods across long distances and
makes many kinds of foods safe to eat by de-activating spoilage and pathogenic
micro-organisms.
 2. Processed foods are usually less susceptible to early spoilage than fresh
foods and are better suited for long-distance transportation from the source to the
consumer.

3. Processing can also reduce the incidence of food-borne disease. Fresh

materials, such as fresh produce and raw meats, are more likely to harbour
pathogenic micro-organisms capable of causing serious illnesses.

4. Transportation of more exotic food, as well as the elimination of much hard

labor gives the modern eater easy access to a wide variety of food unimaginable to
their ancestors.
5. The act of processing can often improve the taste of food significantly.

6. Mass production of food is much cheaper overall than individual production

of meals from raw ingredients.

7. Processed food freed people from the large amount of time involved in
preparing and cooking “natural” unprocessed foods. The increase in free time allows
people much more choice in life style than previously allowed.

8. Modern food processing also improves the quality of life for people with
allergies, diabetics, and other people who cannot consume some common food
element. Food processing can also add extra nutrients such as vitamins.

 Drawbacks include:

1. Processing of food can decrease its nutritional density. The amount of

nutrients lost depends on the food and processing methods.

2. New research highlighting the importance of human health of a rich

microbial environment in the intestine indicates that abundant food processing
endangers that environment.

3. Using some food additives represents another safety concern. The health
risks of any given additive vary greatly from person to person; for example using
sugar as an additive endangers diabetics. In the European Union, Only European
Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approved food additives (e.g. sweeteners,
preservatives) are permitted at specified levels for use in food products.

4. Food processing is typically a mechanical process that utilizes extrusion,

large mixing, grinding and chopping and emulsifying equipment in the production
process. These processes introduce a number of contamination risks. Such
contaminants are left over material from a previous operation, animal or human
bodily fluids, microorganisms, non-metallic and metallic fragments. Further
processing of these contaminants will result in downstream equipment failure and
risk of ingestion by the consumer.
 5. Food processing does have some benefits, such as making food last longer
and making products more convenient. However, there are drawbacks to relying on
a lot heavily processed foods. An unhealthy diet high in fat, added sugar and salt,
such as one containing a lot of highly-processed foods, can increase the risk for
cancer, type 2 and heart disease, according to World Health Organization.

Nutrient losses

Processing foods often involves nutrient losses, which can make it harder to
meet your needs if these nutrients aren’t added back through fortification or
enrichment. For example, using high heat during processing can cause vitamin C
losses. Eating refined grains, such as those found in many processed foods, instead
of whole grains may increase your risk of high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity (The
American Journal of Clinical nutrition, Dec. 2007).

Added Sodium

One of the main sources for sodium in the diet is processed foods. Sodium is
added to prevent spoilage, add Flavor and improve the texture of these foods. The
recommended limit for sodium intake is 2,300 milligrams per day for healthy people.

Added Sugar

The American Heart Association recommends women limit added sugar to no

more than 100 calories, or 25 grams and men limit added sugars to no more than
155 calories, or about 38.75 grams per day. While you don’t need to limit the sugars
found naturally in whole, unprocessed foods like fresh fruit, eating too much added
sugar found in many processed foods can increase your risk for heart disease,
obesity, cavities and type 2 diabetes.

Trends in Modern food processing

1. Developing innovative indigenous food processing technologies

2. International Processing technology and developments
3. Innovation the usage of old-age rich expertise in processing strategies
4. The technology utilizes deep-rooted information about an ingredient
5. The appearance of Fusion products
6. Innovative packaging and storing