Principles and methods of food

processing and preservation

• Spoilage Spoilage can be defined as decomposition or damage
causing undesirable changes in food. It is caused due to various
agents making food unsuitable for consumption. A spoiled food looks,
smells, and tastes bad.
• Contamination The term contaminated is used for those foods which
are not fit to be eaten for sanitary reasons. Although contaminated
food may look, smell, and taste good, it may contain harmful
chemicals, non-food matter, and bacteria. Contamination of food
results in its spoilage.
Causes of food spoilage
• Growth and activity of bacteria, yeast, and mould
• Insect infestation
• Enzymatic changes
• Chemical action
• Physical changes
Objectives of food processing
• Removal of unwanted matter from the food
• Making food safe for consumption
• Increasing digestibility
• Enhance flavour, colour, and taste
• Improving texture and consistency
• Minimizing nutrient loss
• Extending the shelf life
• Increasing acceptability through fabricated foods
Methods of food preservation
• USE OF LOW TEMPERATURE
• Refrigeration/chilling Temperatures of 1-4°C prevent food from spoiling
for short periods. It merely retards the decay but. frozen foods kept at —
18°C preserve food for a year and at —28°C food can be preserved for
upto two years
• Freezing Food is preserved for long periods by reducing its temperature to
—18°C or lower. At this temperature, water present in food is converted
to ice and microbial growth stops. Freezing retains colour, flavour, and
nutritive value. However, the texture of some foods is adversely affected.
If properly stored, frozen food has a shelf life of 3-12 months. Fruits,
vegetables, meat, fish, and poultry can be preserved in this way.
Types of freezers
• Blast freezers In this cold air at —18°C to —34°C is vigorously circulated over
food while it passes through an insulated tunnel.
• Plate freezers Food to be frozen is placed in contact with a metal surface which is
cooled by a refrigerant. It is used for ice creams, juices, etc., both packaged and
unpackaged foods.
• Immersion freezers Packaged or unpackaged food is frozen by immersing it or
spraying it with a freezing agent. It is used for freezing poultry.
• Spray freezers This is the quickest freezing method in which liquid nitrogen or
carbon dioxide is used. It is called cryogenic freezing. The food to be frozen is
placed on a conveyor belt which passes through an insulated freezing tunnel.
Liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide is injected into the tunnel through a spray
which changes its state and vaporizes, resulting in instant freezing
• USE OF HIGH TEMPERATURES
• High temperatures destroy micro-organisms by denaturation of cell proteins and
inactivation of enzymes needed by them for their metabolism. At temperatures
above 63°C bacteria stop multiplying and as the temperature increases, they are
gradually destroyed. The thermal death time (TDT) is the time needed at a given
temperature to kill a number of microbes. Heat used to destroy microbes may be in
the form of wet heat or dry heat.
• Wet heat This is more commonly used in the food industry. If carefully administered,
it is a useful method of controlling micro-organisms.
• Blanching Foods which are to be frozen, dried, or canned are immersed in hot
boiling water for a few minutes prior to processing. Blanching helps in removal of
peel, inactivation of enzymes that oxidize vitamin C, removal of gas in tissue spaces,
and wilting of the tissue which helps in proper filling of the can. The enzymes which
bring about discolouration or browning seen in apples, pears, and potatoes are also
inactivated.
• Pasteurization This method is used to control micro-organisms in
milk, fruit juices, and wines. Food may be pasteurized by any one of
the three methods:
• (a) Low temperature holding (LTH) method at 62°C for 30 minutes.
• (b) High temperature short time (HTST) or flash method at 72°C for 15
seconds.
• (c) Ultra high temperature sterilization (UHTS) at temperatures above
135°C for 2 seconds. This method makes foods commercially sterile.
Such foods are packed under aseptic conditions and can be stored at
room temperature for three to six months.
• Canning In this process temperatures used are above 100°C. All micro-
organisms that could spoil food under normal conditions of storage are
destroyed by heating the food in an autoclave at temperatures between
115°C and 125°C. The exact temperature and time required for canning
depends on the type of food to be canned. Acidic foods such as fruit are
heated to 100°C only because acid also helps in preventing microbial growth.
A vacuum is created inside the can or the air in the headspace may be
replaced by nitrogen gas to prevent growth of aerobic bacteria.
• This is the most common method of food processing in developed countries.
It is used to preserve fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, poultry, etc. In this
process, no preservative is added to the food which is sealed in airtight
containers. These are then heated to sterilize the food.
Steps in Canning
• The following basic steps need to be followed while canning or bottling food:
• Cleaning and preparing The food to be canned is cleaned thoroughly and prepared for canning. For
example, fruits and vegetables may be cut, peeled, sliced, or stoned. Some foods may be blanched.
• Filling Raw prepared food is filled into cans or bottles either mechanically at the rate of 1,200
containers a minute or by hand. Filling should be carefully controlled to ensure that the headspace, i.e.,
the amount of empty space in the can is neither too little nor too large.
• Exhausting A partial vacuum is created in the can by removing part of the air. As oxygen is reduced,
bacterial spoilage is retarded. Exhausting prevents the ends of the can from bulging during heating.
Sealing Cans and bottles are sealed with airtight lids by sealing machines.
• Processing The sealed containers are heated at a controlled temperature for a specified length of time.
The time and temperature depend on the food being processed and the size of the container. Cans are
processed in containers called retorts. They are commercially sterilized using steam under pressure.
• Cooling As soon as processing is over, cans are cooled immediately to stop further cooking. Cans are
cooled by dipping them in cold water, spraying them with cold water, or partially cooling them by water
as well as air-cooling. The cans are then labelled and packed in cartons to be marketed.