What is Food Processing?
Food processing includes traditional processes (heat treatment, fermentation, pickling, smoking, drying, curing) and state-of-the-art processes (pasteurization, ultraheat treatment, high-pressure treatment, or packaging in a protective atmosphere).
Types of processes:
The following are different types of Methods of Food Processing and Preservation:
- Canning
Food is heated to high temperatures. This process is known as pasteurization. The food is then stored in sealed cans. See the infographic showing how to process canned tomatoes.
fermentation Decomposition of sugar by bacteria, yeast, or other microorganisms under anaerobic conditions. This means that the process does not require oxygen (except for the oxygen contained in sugar).
- Fermentation
Fermentation is used especially for the production of alcoholic beverages such as wine, beer, and cider, and for the preservation of foods such as sauerkraut, dry sausages, and yogurt, but also for growing dough in bread making.
- Freezing
Reduces food temperature below 0 ° C to reduce the activity of harmful bacteria. This process can be used to store most foods such as fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and ready-made meals.
- Modified atmosphere packaging
Packing in a protective atmosphere The air in the package is replaced with a protective gas mixture. Protective gas mixtures often contain oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen. These gases are also present in the air we breathe. They help extend the shelf life of fresh foods, usually fruits, vegetables, meat, and meat products, and seafood.
- Pasteurization
Food is heated and then cooled rapidly to kill microorganisms. For example, raw milk may contain harmful bacteria that cause food poisoning. Cooking (at home) or pasteurizing (on a large scale) is important for safe consumption. Apart from dairy products, pasteurization is widely used in the storage of canned foods, juices, and alcoholic beverages.
- Smoking
The process of heating and chemical treatment of food to store it exposed to smoke from burning substances such as wood. Smoked foods are usually meat, sausages, fish, or cheese.
- Additives
Food additives play an important role in maintaining the freshness, safety, taste, appearance, and texture of processed foods. Food additives are added for specific purposes, such as to ensure food safety or to maintain food quality during the shelf life of a product. For example, antioxidants prevent fats and oils from giving off a foul odor, and preservatives prevent or reduce the growth of microorganisms (such as mold on bread). Emulsifiers are used, for example, to improve the texture of mayonnaise and prevent salad dressings from separating into oil and water.
For more articles on food Marketing, agrotech, and technology related to the Indian food industry, check out FMTmagazine. FMT Magazine is an edition of the German publication. It is a comprehensive food and beverage magazine that connects the buyers and the sellers through content that is of international quality. The magazine over the entire spectrum of the food industry including content on policies. FMT Magazine stands for Food Marketing & Technology Magazine. The magazine carries articles on ingredients, processing, packaging, food safety, and marketing, along with interviews with top personalities in the Indian food industry.
