Food material science and food process engineering: keys to product quality and safety

Abstract Food process engineering and material science provide the foundation on which the food preservation and manufacturing industries are based. To a large extent, availability and quality of the food supply in countries around the world are closely related to the level of development and application of knowledge in food engineering and material science. Moreover, the successful production of specific food items requires a systems approach in which all components of the manufacturing environment are recognized to be interdependent and integrated into the total management of quality reflected in the end product. This paper presents a case study of the production of shelf-stable foods in microwaveable packages to illustrate the systems approach combining food and packaging material science with food process engineering.