ABSTRACT
Preservation processes are of major importance to the food industry, as food preservation is one of the thrust areas in food processing. These processes include (i) inactivation of enzymes to prevent deterioration of food quality during storage, (ii) reduction of microbial load that otherwise jeopardizes consumer’s health, and (iii) moisture removal by either drying or concentration to enhance the shelf life of food products. Heat processing is still one of the most widely used methods for food preservation. However, heat processing can cause considerable organoleptic and nutritional quality losses in food products. Apart from this, consumer demand for high-quality, freshlike, and safe food products that are minimally processed constantly drives researchers toward the development of novel processing technologies that can result in
7.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 115 7.1.1 Electromagnetic Radiation and Electromagnetic Spectrum ............. 116 7.1.2 Infrared Radiation: Classication and Sources ................................. 116
7.1.2.1 Sources of Infrared Radiation ............................................ 116 7.2 Fundamentals of Infrared Heating and Comparison with Hot Air Heating .....117 7.3 Advantages of Infrared Radiation-Based Food Processing ........................... 118 7.4 Application of Infrared for Food Processing ................................................. 118
7.4.1 Infrared Blanching ............................................................................ 118 7.4.1.1 Blanching ........................................................................... 118 7.4.1.2 Conventional Blanching Techniques and Their
Drawbacks .......................................................................... 118 7.4.1.3 Infrared Blanching of Foods .............................................. 119
7.4.2 Infrared Drying ................................................................................. 122 7.4.2.1 Drying ................................................................................ 122 7.4.2.2 Conventional Drying Techniques and Their Drawbacks .....122 7.4.2.3 Infrared Drying of Foods ................................................... 122
7.5 Limitations of Infrared Processing ................................................................ 133 7.6 Concluding Remarks and Future Trends ....................................................... 133 References ................................................................................................................ 133
products with better quality, besides being cost effective. Nonthermal processes such as processing under high pressure, pulsed electric eld and pulsed light processing, high-pressure carbon dioxide processing, osmotic dehydration, membrane processing, and gamma irradiation are also employed for food preservation. Both thermal and nonthermal processes have their advantages and limitations and one of the recent trends is to use a combination of processes to achieve the desired results.
