ABSTRACT
Food-processing operations such as blanching, cooking, pasteurization, and sterilization involve temperature-dependent biochemical or chemical changes. The safety and quality of foods critically depend on correct temperature regimes; for example, in canning, the classical problem is nding the optimum heating regime that inactivates any microorganism while still preserving nutritional quality (avoiding overprocessing and destruction of vitamins). In water-containing foods, heat transfer is often accompanied by a signicant water transfer. Thus, the quality and safety of foods critically depend on the entire temperature history and the state and distribution of water in the food. Other physical properties and variables such as pressure, ow, electric elds, and water activity also greatly inuence processing of foods.
