ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the effectiveness and potential of microwave heating technology for different food processing methods and briefly presents a literature review of experimental approaches of microwave heating. Microwave processing of food materials needs to be carried out to a great extent at a pilot scale level than at laboratory conditions so that the results might be useful for industrial applications. In spite of the complex nature of microwave-food interactions, more research needs to be carried out for a better understanding of the process. Microwave technology offers a new range of opportunities as a substitute to thermal processing. It offers a technique of heating that requires neither the presence of a hot outer surface nor the need for long conduction lags. This technique can be effectively used for traditional Indian dairy products (TIDPs) for in-pack sterilization. Also microwave processing results in excellent retention of nutritional and sensory value, besides having several advantages like savings in energy, cost, and time.
