ABSTRACT
Advances in more efficient and versatile methods of food processing and preservation have been occurring exponentially over the past few decades in order to meet the continually increasing population and consumer demands for quality foods with particular focus on their nutritional aspects. The quality of processed foods depends not only upon the initial integrity of the raw materials but also on the changes occurring during processing and subsequent storage that may result in potential losses and decreased bioavailability. Emphasis is growing in the area of nutraceuticals and fortified high-energy foods (Giese, 1995; Molyneau and Lee, 1998; Sloan, 1999, 2005). Trends also indicate that fortification of food products has increased tremendously in the past years in multiple categories, including beverages, meals, biscuits, etc. Not only is the nutritional quality important to the food processor, but also the general appearance of the food, its flavor, color, and texture, factors which are highly dependent upon the target consumer. It is, therefore, of critical importance to the food industry to minimize losses of quality in food products during processing and subsequent storage. It is through the development of mathematical models to predict behavior of food components and optimization of processes for maximum product quality that continued advancement can be achieved. To obtain these goals, extensive information is needed on the rates of destruction of quality parameters and their dependence on variables such as temperature, pH, light, oxygen, and moisture content. A food engineer can then develop new processing techniques to achieve optimum product quality based on an understanding of reaction rates and mechanisms of destruction of individual quality factors combined with heat and mass transfer information. The need for this type of information has become critically important to the food industry with required nutritional labeling for food products.
