Food Processing Technology in a Sustainable Food Supply Chain

Abstract

The development of sustainable process technologies was a major concern and a central idea of what Prof. W.E.L. Spiess (WELS) and his research group have tried to accomplish throughout a long and productive scientific journey. In the early sixties, Freeze Drying was considered as the process with the lowest thermal impact on quality of food. WELS recognized the importance of both freezing process and storage conditions (especially water activity) for maintaining a high product quality. His group laid the foundation for a better understanding of water sorption in food materials. In fact, their critical evaluation of the BET theory initiated fruitful discussions on water sorption in foods. Their work on freezing included studies on crystal growth conditions, the impact of Time-Temperature conditions in the Frozen Food Chain (FFC), the development of various Time-Temperature Indicators and the use of antifreeze proteins in frozen food production. They actually developed the “mother” of all electronic Time-Temperature Recorders; that was an electronic temperature data-logger used for the analysis of product temperatures and residence times in the FFC. The techniques they developed in their studies of the crystallization process allowed the WELS group to develop an osmotic dehydration cell attached to a Confocal Scanning Laser Microscope (CSLM). This arrangement allowed them to understand and accurately describe the mass transfer process at cellular level during osmotic dehydration. Throughout his productive scientific career Prof. Spiess coordinated several European research cooperation projects that were instrumental in the development of a European Network of Food Science/Engineering Institutions and a true “European Food Science community”.