1 - An overview of high-temperature food processes

Abstract

The impact of heat on food processing is important for improving the sensory and nutritional characteristics of foods while also increasing the shelf life by decreasing enzymatic and biochemical degradation reactions and removing water from the food structure. In addition to the positive features of heat application, it should also be considered that it requires high operating costs. The high-temperature food processing methods reviewed in this chapter include cooking, baking, roasting, frying, and thawing, which are unit operations in which heat is applied to foods to increase the shelf life or to improve the eating quality. In this chapter, first, the theoretical basis of the food processing operations is described. Then, processing parameters and the influence of the unit operations on the physicochemical and nutritional properties of foods are indicated. The methods and equipment used to apply these theoretical principles into practice are described in detail, and new technologies providing energy savings, lower labor costs, and improving product quality are discussed in the following sections.