ABSTRACT
This chapter considers thermal processing of ready meals in terms of the different types of meals on the market, their methods of manufacture, and the assurance of quality and safety of those meals. Exposure of foods to a time at lethal temperatures, referred to as thermal processing, is the most commonly used method to kill or control the numbers of microorganisms present within foods and on packaging material surfaces. Other methods for achieving preservation, such as freezing, modiƒed atmospheres, and novel techniques will be mentioned briežy in Section 14.2 but the priority is with thermal processing techniques.
