Introduction to Food Engineering

Food engineering is the application of engineering principles to the storage, processing and distribution of food materials and their bio-products. In todays world, food production is a significant issue and Food Engineers play an important role in addressing that. Food engineering applies engineering principles to food processing equipment. Food that is grown or processed must follow strict safety health and standards to ensure they are safe and that people do not get sick (or worse) from consuming produced food. In the development of food engineering, one of the many challenges is to employ modern tools, technology, and knowledge, such as computational materials science and nanotechnology, to develop new products and processes. Simultaneously, improving quality, safety, and security remain critical issues in food engineering study. New packaging materials and techniques are being developed to provide more protection to foods, and novel preservation technology is emerging. Additionally, process control and automation regularly appear among the top priorities identified in food engineering. Advanced monitoring and control systems are developed to facilitate automation and flexible food manufacturing. Furthermore, energy saving and minimization of environmental problems continue to be important food engineering issues, and significant progress is being made in waste management, efficient utilization of energy, and reduction of effluents and emissions in food production. Food Engineers control the health and safety of food production by designing and operating food processing plants. They also involve themselves in waste management and the genetic modification of foods. This Text will present a comprehensive overview of engineering principles and concepts to handle, store, process, package, and distribute food and related products. Readers will study the concepts of food refrigeration, freezing, thermal processing, drying, and other food operations.