Corrosion in the Food Industry and Its Control

Abstract

From ancient times human beings have survived on a diet consisting on a relatively few species of plants and animals, domesticated and then cultivated and grown. Three cereals, wheat, rice and corn, supply the need of human energy, protein and vitamins requirements for the network of metabolic processes to maintain normal body function and temperature. In a prehistoric era, indigenous peoples all over the world were moving in inhospitable grounds obtaining their daily sustenance by hunting and gathering fruits, seeds and roots. Actually, the three largest markets worldwide, according to their production extent, the number of consumers and their economic and social significance are the food, energy and water markets. Furthermore, their increasing scarcity and soaring prices lead to a global critical situation. The demand for increased food supply is related both, to population increase and personal and family income. Consequently, the food market is the largest one, including all the inhabitants of this planet, about seven billion, since everyone eats! The organized food production and supply starts with the agricultural revolution, developed and implemented in the fertile valleys of the rivers Tigris-Euphrates in Mesopotamia and the Nile in ancient Egypt. Afterwards the food industry expanded, avoided widespread famine and ensured that sufficient food is supplied for all people to stay healthy. Current food research had been largely stimulated by rapidly growing world demand but technological advances in food processing, equipment and production plants have also contributed. A most significant aspect in the search of new nutritional food is the requirement for adequate protein in regions where meat and fish are not available. Additionally, advances in the food industry (FI) such as preservation, packaging and storage facilitate food delivery and minimized health hazards. Space flight conditions have stimulated the creation of space food which meets highly demanding standards for conservation and to be ready for easy digestion e.g. solid dehydrated food easily converted into liquid or paste food. Techniques for preserving food from natural deterioration following harvest or slaughter dated to prehistoric times applying drying, salting, fermentation of milk and fruits and pickling of vegetables. Modern techniques include canning, freezing, dehydration, cooking under vacuum and addition of chemicals. The principal causes of food spoilage are growth