Chapter 32 - Minimal Processing of Ready Meals

Abstract

There is a large, and ever-growing, domestic and catering market for chilled and frozen ready meals. A chilled or frozen ready meal is a fully prepared meal that will ultimately be heated in a conventional domestic, or microwave, oven. Consumers expect a meal with an eating quality that is at least as good as if they had cooked and prepared it themselves. There is a growing demand for new “fresh-like”, “clean-labelled”, “minimally processed” products positioned on a more wholesome, fresh, and naturalness platform. This chapter reviews both current technologies for manufacturing chilled and frozen ready meals, and the novel and alternative processing options that are emerging for manufacturers, such as microwave, radiofrequency, ohmic, and high-pressure technologies.