Dramatic changes in the attitudes toward human nutrition have taken place dur ing the past decade. Food-related and medical professionals as well as consumers are now, more than ever before, aware of and concerned about diet, nutrition, and the beneficial and deleterious effects of food processing upon nutrients. The old saying "We are what we eat" is still relevant. Nutritious food will contribute greatly to consumers' good health and ultimately reduce medical bills. Food processing is essential to maintaining our food reserves from one harvest to another, thus letting us serve our daily meals regularly. If food processing is defined as including all treatments of foodstuffs from harvest to consumption, then more than 95% of our food may be considered as processed. In most cases, food processing and storage cause some reduction in the nutritional value of foods. Advances in food science and food technology have resulted in an increase in nu trient retention after processing. In addition, today's consumer better understands how to avoid excessive nutrient losses during food preparation. The information presented in this completely revised reference and textbook will help the reader to understand better the relationship between food processing and nutrient retention. The authors' scholarly contributions are greatly appreciated.

Food properties, whether they concern the physical, thermodynamic, chemical, nutritional or sensory characteristics of foods, play an important role in food processing. In our quest to gain a mechanistic understanding of changes occurring during food processing, the knowledge of food properties is essential. Quantitative information on the food properties is necessary in the design and operation of food processing equipment. Foods, because of their biological nature and variability, vary in the magnitude of their properties. The variation in properties offer a challenge both in their measurement and use in the food processing applications. Often a high level of precision in measurement of properties is not possible as the measurement method may itself cause changes to the product, resulting in a variation in the obtained values. Recognizing the difficulties in measurement of food properties, and the lack of completeness of such information, several research programs have been in existence during the last two decades. In Europe, a multinational effort has been underway since 1978. The first project supported by COST (European Cooperation in the Field of Scientific and Technical Research), was titled COST 90 "The Effect of Processing on the Physical Properties of Foodstuffs". This and another project COST 90bis have considerably added to our knowledge of measurement methods and data on a number of physical properties. Two publications that summarize the work conducted under 1 2 these projects are Physical Properties of Foods and Physical Properties of Foods .

Food Processing for Increased Quality and Consumption, Volume 18 in the Handbook of Food Bioengineering series, offers an updated perspective on the novel technologies utilized in food processing. This resource highlights their impact on health, industry and food bioengineering, also emphasizing the newest aspects of investigated technologies and specific food products through recently developed processing methods. As processed foods are more frequently consumed, there is increased demand to produce foods that attract people based on individual preferences, such as taste, texture or nutritional value. This book provides advantageous tools that improve food quality, preservation and aesthetics. - Examines different frying techniques, dielectric defrosting, high pressure processing, and more - Provides techniques to improve the quality and sensory aspects of foods - Includes processing techniques for meat, fish, fruit, alcohol, yogurt and whey - Outlines techniques for fresh, cured and frozen foods - Presents processing methods to improve the nutritional value of foods

Calorimetry in Food Processing: Analysis and Design of Food Systems introduces the basic principles of calorimetry and highlights various applications of calorimetry to characterize temperature-induced changes including starch gelatinization and crystallization, lipid transitions, protein denaturation, and inactivation of microorganisms in a variety of food and biological materials. Emphasis is given to the use of calorimetry as a tool for evaluation of processing requirements in order to assess the efficacy of food processing and for characterization of the effects of changes in formulation and processing conditions.

Understanding of the scientific basis of quality attributes in meat is becoming more advanced, providing more effective approaches to the control of meat eating and technological quality. This important collection reviews essential knowledge of the mechanisms underlying quality characteristics and methods to improve meat sensory and nutritional quality.Part one analyses the scientific basis of meat quality attributes, such as texture and tenderness, colour, water-holding capacity and flavour development. Chapters on the nutritional quality of meat and meat sensory evaluation complete the section. Part two discusses significant insights into the biology of meat quality obtained from genomic and proteomic perspectives, with chapters focussing on different types of meat. Parts three and four then review production and processing strategies to optimise meat quality, considering aspects such as production practices and meat nutritional quality, dietary antioxidants and antimicrobials, carcass interventions, chilling and freezing and packaging. Methods of meat grading and quality analysis are also included.With its distinguished editors and international team of contributors, Improving the sensory and nutritional quality of fresh meat is a standard reference for those industrialists and academics interested in optimising meat quality. - Reviews methods to improve meat sensory and nutritional quality considering the effects of different production practices such as chilling, freezing and packaging - Analyses the scientific basis of meat quality attributes covering texture, tenderness, colour and water-holding capacity - Examines production and processing strategies to optimise meat quality, including the current state of development and future potential

This text comprehensively covers novel, innovative technologies used in the food and beverage industries in order to provide safe and healthy foods for consumers. The research provided in these chapters aims to show that the traditional pasteurization and commercial sterilization of foods result in unacceptable quality and nutrient retention, creating an important need for alternative methods used to minimize undesirable reactions such as thermal decomposition or degradation. Emerging processing methods to minimize heat induced alterations in foods and their applications are covered in-depth, demonstrating that these methods are useful not only for the inactivation of microorganisms and enzymes but also for improving the yield and development of ingredients and marketable foods with higher quality and better nutritional characteristics. Effect of Emerging Processing Methods on the Food Quality: Advantages and Challenges not only covers the advantages of using innovative processing methods, but also the disadvantages and challenges of using these techniques on food quality. Each chapter focuses on a different emerging processing technique, breaking down the sensory, textural and nutritional aspects for different food products in addition to the advantages and challenges for each method. New technologies and advanced theories are a major focus, pointing to innovative new paths for the quality and safety assurance in food products. From pulsed electric fields to ultrasounds, this work covers all aspects of emerging processing techniques for fruits and vegetables, foods and dairy products.

Food Processing and Nutrition elucidates the relationship between food processing and nutrition, particularly, the properties of nutrients, effects of different processes, commodities, and the addition of nutrients. This book will be valuable to those who require a general outline of the subject and specific and detailed information about a particular product or process.