Food biotechnology's typical developments and applications have occurred in the fields of genetics and in enzyme- and cell-based biological processes, with the goal of producing and improving food ingredients and foods themselves. While these developments and applications are usually well reported in terms of the underlying science, there is a clea

Aimed at producing and improving food ingredients, developments in food biotechnology have focused on the fields of genetics and in enzyme- and cell-based biological processes. While the underlying science of these developments and applications has traditionally been well reported, there is a clear lack of information on the engineering aspects of such biotechnology-based food processes. This book provides a comprehensive review of these aspects, from the development of food processes and products to the most important unit operations.

Food biotechnology’s typical developments and applications have occurred in the fields of genetics and in enzyme- and cell-based biological processes, with the goal of producing and improving food ingredients and foods themselves. While these developments and applications are usually well reported in terms of the underlying science, there is a clear lack of information on the engineering aspects of such biotechnology-based food processes. Filling this gap, Engineering Aspects of Food Biotechnology provides a comprehensive review of those aspects, from the development of food processes and products to the most important unit operations implied in food biotechnological processes, also including food quality control and waste management. The book focuses on the use of biotechnology for the production of ingredients to be used in the food industry. It addresses two relevant issues—consumer’s awareness of the relation between nutrition and good health and the importance of environmental sustainability in the food chain (i.e. production of polymers and in vitro meat). A chapter on the application of process analytical technology highlights the importance of this tool for satisfying the increasingly sophisticated and strict polices for quality control and monitoring of specific process phases. The book includes a detailed presentation of relevant unit operations developed to extract/purify the ingredients of biotechnological origin intended for food applications. In addition to examining the contributions of biotechnology to producing and improving food ingredients, the book provides a concise description of the role biotechnology plays in adding value to food processing by-products, including post-harvest losses, in relevant industries of the food sector. It builds a foundation for further research and development in the food processing industry.

Biotechnology and its implication for the future, introduction to bio reactor engineering, bioreactor considerations for producing flavors and pigments from plant tissue culture, membrane bioreactors: enzime processes, food freeze concentration, supercritical fluid extraction, drying of foods, aseptic processing of foods, encapsulation and con trolled release do food components, extrusion of foods, developments in microwave food processing, robotics in food processing, integrationof computers in food processing.

Engineering the Farm offers a wide-ranging examination of the social and ethical issues surrounding the production and consumption of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), with leading thinkers and activists taking a broad theoretical approach to the subject. Topics covered include: the historical roots of the anti-biotechnology movement ethical issues involved in introducing genetically altered crops questions of patenting and labeling the "precautionary principle" and its role in the regulation of GMOs effects of genetic modification on the world's food supply ecological concerns and impacts on traditional varieties of domesticated crops potential health effects of GMOs Contributors argue that the scope, scale, and size of the present venture in crop modification is so vast and intensive that a thoroughgoing review of agricultural biotechnology must consider its global, moral, cultural, and ecological impacts as well as its effects on individual consumers. Throughout, they argue that more research is needed on genetically modified food and that consumers are entitled to specific information about how food products have been developed. Despite its increasing role in worldwide food production, little has been written about the broader social and ethical implications of GMOs. Engineering the Farm offers a unique approach to the subject for academics, activists, and policymakers involved with questions of environmental policy, ethics, agriculture, environmental health, and related fields.

This resource examines trends in modern biotechnology, covering all aspects of this interdisciplinary field.