PRINCIPLES OF FOOD ENGINEERING

(AG31005)
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES FROM THE COURSE

• Overview of unit operations in food engineering, processing

concepts, and associated engineering principles
• Principles of Fluid mechanics: flow of food fluid associated
in food processing
• Heat transfer: Heating and cooling of food involving food
processing
• Mass transfer: Moisture exchange involving food processing

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INTRODUCTION TO FOOD ENGINEERING/FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING
• Process is the set of activities or industrial operations that modify
the properties of raw materials with the purpose of obtaining
products to satisfy the needs of a society.
• Food process engineering includes the part of human activity in
which the knowledge of physical, natural, and economic sciences is
applied to agricultural products as related to their composition,
energetic content, or physical state
• Defined as : “the science of conceiving, calculating, designing,
building, and running the facilities where the transformation
processes of agricultural products, at the industrial level and as
economically as possible, are carried out”
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 INTRODUCTION TO FOOD ENGINEERING…

• Thus, an engineer in the food industry should know the basic

principles of process engineering and be able to develop new
production techniques for agricultural products.
• He should also be capable of designing the equipment to be used
in a given process
• The main objective of food engineering is to study the principles
and laws governing the physical, chemical, or biochemical stages of
different processes, and the apparatus or equipment by which such
stages are industrially carried out.
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LETS LOOK AT SOME COMMERCIAL PRODUCT
HOW ARE THEY PRODUCED?
• How the raw materials
converted to he final
product?
• What process are followed
to perform
• The process?
• Fundamental underlying
principle of the processes

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TRANSFORMATION OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS: FARM-TO-FORK

Pressing Pre-
Fruits Crushing (Squeezing concentration
out juice) (Water out)

Clarification
Enzymatic (Removal of Evaporation Cooling
treatment foreign (Water out)
material)

Storage Production of fruit juices

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 PROCESSING STEPS OF PASTEURIZED MILK

Refrigerated Fat content

Raw milk storage standardization Homogenization
(Centrifugation)

Pasteurization Filling in Refrigerated Distribution to

(heat treatment pouches storage consumer
to kill microbes)

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PROCESSING STEPS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF DRY POTATO FLAKES

Raw Cleaning & Peeling Conversion

potato sorting to slurry

Storage & Drying

Distribution Packaging (Moisture
content <5%)

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PROCESSING STEPS OF POTATO CHIPS MANUFACTURE

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 GENERAL CONCEPTS OF PROCESSING
Processing of foods include:
(a) the addition of thermal energy and elevated temperatures:
Heating
(b) the removal of thermal energy or reduced temperatures:
cooling
( c) the removal of water or reduced moisture content:
Dehydration/evaporation/concertation
(d) the use of packaging to maintain the desirable product
characteristics established by the processing operations.

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 UNIT OPERATIONS CLASSIFICATIONS:
• When analyzing the flow charts of different processes
described in other sections, it can be observed that some of
the stages are found in all of them
• Each of these stages is called basic or unit operation, in
common with many industrial processes
• There are different types of unit operations depending on
the nature of the transformation performed; thus, physical,
chemical, and biochemical stages can be distinguished

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PHYSICAL STAGES:
• Grinding: size reduction process in which food particles are
converted into smaller particles. Example, making turmeric
powder
• Sieving: Separation of materials according to their sizes.
Example: Sieving is done to screen out some unwanted materials
• Mixture: Dispersing components, one throughout the other.
Example, mixing powder milk in hot water
• Evaporation: Reduction of water from liquid food by application
of heat. Example, evaporation of water from milk
• Drying: Reducing water content of material to preserve them for
longer time. Example, dried milk powder
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 CHEMICAL STAGES:

• Chemical peeling: Removal of peels/skins of fruits and

vegetables using alkaline solution. Example, Removal of
tomato skin using NaOH solution

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BIOCHEMICAL STAGES:

Pasteurization: Inactivation/killing of harmful microorganisms

in food by a a suitable means (thermal and nonthermal) in
order to keep food safe with longer shelf life. Example:
Pasteurized milk

Hence, the group of physical, chemical, and biochemical

stages that take place in the transformation processes of
agricultural products constitute the so-called unit operations
of the food industry
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UNIT OPERATIONS CAN BE CLASSIFIED INTO THREE DIFFERENT GROUPS BASED
ON POSSIBLE CHANGES THAT A BODY MAY UNDERGO ARE DEFINED BY
VARIATIONS IN EITHER ITS MASS, ENERGY (HEAT), OR VELOCITY (MOMENTUM)

Cooling + Evaporation
(Heat transfer + Mass transfer)
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MORE COMPLEX PROCESSES: HEAT TRANSFER AND FLUID FLOW OCCURS

(1) balance tank, (2)

feed pump, (3) flow
controller, (4)
regenerative
preheating section,
(5) centrifugal clarifier,
(6) heating section, (7)
holding tube, (8)
booster pump, (9) hot
water heating system,
(10) regenerative
cooling sections,
(11) cooling sections,
(12) flow diversion
valve, (13) control
panel
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HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER PROCESS:
HEAT/ENERGY TRANSFER:
Cooling or heating of the product

MASS TRANSFER : O2, CO2 and

moisture molecules permeate
through packaging material

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HEAT TRANSFER:
These operations are controlled by temperature gradients.
They depend on the mechanism by which heat is
transferred. Example: heating of product
Examples: Cooling of vegetables, cooking of food product

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FLUID FLOW IN UNIT OPERATIONS: MOVEMENT OF BULK MATERIAL OCCURS
Internal external circulation of fluids:
study of the movement of fluids through the interior of the
tubing
Study of equipment used to impel the fluids (pumps,
compressors, blowers, and fans) and the mechanisms used to
measure the properties of fluids
External circulation of fluids: fluid circulates through the
external part of a solid
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MASS TRANSFER IN UNIT OPERATIONS:
Evaporation: Removal of water from a glass of water
Leaching: Solid loss from food during boiling/cooking
process

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DAILY LIFE EXAMPLES WHERE HEATING & COOLING IS INVOLVED:

Heating and
cooling of milk Cooling of food
commodities in
refrigerator
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 DAILY LIFE EXAMPLE WHERE MOISTURE REMOVAL TAKES PLACE

Moisture evaporation
and circulation of milk Sun drying of
during heating of milk cereal grains
(Heat transfer + mass (Moisture
transfer) removal+ heating
of grain)
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 WE WILL BE COVERING:
• Principles of fluid in motion: Momentum transfer (Dr. Kanishka
Bhunia)
• Principle of energy transfer: Heat transfer
Dr. Jayeeta Mitra
• Principle of mass transfer: Mass transfer

We would be studying basics of transfer processes in food

engineering

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HOW WE CAN MAKE USE OF THE KNOWLEDGE AFTER LEARNING?

➢ Design and develop efficient process that would require

less time
➢ Designing an equipment with improved efficiency
➢ Deliver the processed food with proper hygiene
➢ Reduce human effort

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SIMPLIFIED MILK PASTEURIZATION DIAGRAM
• Power requirement of
a pump to supply milk
at a certain flow rate
• Design` a process so
that the milk is properly
pasteurized that
includes residence time
of milk in heat
exchanger and holding
tube, milk flow rate,
and temperature
adjustment
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 VELOCITY PROFILE OF LIQUID FLOWING IN A PIPE: HEATING SECTION IS A
CONCENTRIC TUBE: MILK FLOW INTERNALLY AND STEAM FLOWS AROUND IT TO HEAT
MILK
Heating of milk by steam based • The central part need to
on the flow rate: Heat transfer be properly heat treated so
through wall that microbes are killed for
safe delivery of milk

Milk flow
direction
Fastest moving region:
Requirement of fluid flow rate and target part
pumping power: Fluid flow (momentum
transfer) K. BHUNIA 26
INTRODUCTION TO MOLECULAR
TRANSPORT
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 GENERAL THEORY OF TRANSFER PROCESSES
•Transfer or movement of a given property or entity by
molecular movement through a system or medium which can
be a fluid (gas or liquid) or a solid.
•This property that is being transferred can be mass, thermal
energy (heat), or momentum.
•When a difference of concentration of the property exists
for any of these properties from one region to an adjacent
region, a net transport of this property occurs

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MOLECULAR TRANSPORT PROCESS

movement of property due to

Molecular transport process:
concentration different
Energy/Heat
Transfer

Mass transfer

Mass transfer

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GENERALIZED EQUATION OF TRANSFER PROCESS

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FOR A STEADY STATE PROCESS: STEADY STATE MEANS PROPERTY DOES NOT
CHANGE WITH TIME AND REMAIN CONSTANT

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UNSTEADY STATE PROCESS: GENERAL PROPERTY BALANCE OR CONSERVATION EQUATION FOR THE
PROPERTY (MOMENTUM, THERMAL ENERGY, OR MASS) AT UNSTEADY STATE. EQUATION FOR
PROPERTY ENTERING BY MOLECULAR TRANSPORT, LEAVING, BEING GENERATED, AND
ACCUMULATING IN A SYSTEM

Storage

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UNSTEADY STATE

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UNSTEADY STATE:

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STEADY STATE:

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MOMENTUM TRANSPORT AND RATE EQUATION: STUDY OF THE MOTION OF FLUIDS
AND THE FORCES THAT PRODUCE THESE MOTIONS.
Fluid is flowing in the x direction parallel to a
solid surface, a velocity gradient exists where the
velocity u (x-direction) decreases as we
approach the surface in the y direction
By random diffusion of molecules there is an
exchange of molecules in the y direction,
between the faster-moving layer of molecules
and the slower adjacent layer
Hence, the x-directed momentum has been
transferred in the y direction from the faster- to
the slower-moving layer.

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MOMENTUM TRANSPORT EQUATION

Negative sign is provided as

velocity decreases as y increases

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 ENERGY TRANSPORT:

T1

q
Heat out
Heat in T2

dx

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MASS TRANSPORT:

When there is a concentration gradient, molecules diffuse between the high-

and the low-concentration region and a net flux of mass occurs.

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 ANALOGY:
Analogous form

Momentum transfer Heat transfer Mass transfer

Variable ρCpT
ρu (momentum/volume) C (mol/volume)
(energy/volume)
Molecular ν (kinematic viscosity or α (thermal
D (mass diffusivity)
diffusivity momentum diffusivity) diffusivity)
General
transport
equation

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BOOKS
Fluid mechanics:
1. Fluid mechanics by Frank M. White
2. Fluid Mechanics by Fox and McDonald

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