ABSTRACT
The present chapter is focused on the aspects of heat transfer applied in food science and technology. Heat transfer is vital on cooking processes. During food preparation, the energy can be transferred by convection, conduction, and radiation. This chapter describes some forms of heat transfer considering the radiation (microwave and ultrasound) and omics technique as the novel methods for matter transformation during the cooking. Heating is used to destroy microorganisms that can transmit disease or alter food quality, as well as to make food more comfortable to digest. Thus, energy transfer helps to obtain products and systems with new properties, simplifies extraction processes, and matter conversion. Moreover, the advances of nanotechnology provide new nanostructured materials that can be applied as catalysts and supports for the immobilization of enzymes and bioactive compounds. The goal of this review is to analyze the different forms of energy transfer and their application in food processing and extraction of active compounds employed to improve food quality.
