Xylanases for Food Applications

This chapter discusses the relationship between industrialization and food processing. Changes in food processing approaches took place as a result of technological improvements and/or changes in health, safety, and hygiene standards. The industrialization of food processing included the adoption of technology, such as steam power, from other industries, and the adaptation of processes for specialist use, such as milling of cereals, sugar, and in cider production. There was almost constant change in the technology of food processing through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, resulting in varied levels of survival of archaeological remains, whether buildings or machinery. Refrigeration was one of the most important industrial developments in food production and processing, allowing for the preservation and global distribution of perishable goods. This chapter explores the development of industrial technology within the food processing industry, and the varied impacts of industrialization, internationally, on food production and distribution.

This study aimed to identify the development of new food products related to family farming from scientific and technological perspectives. Data were collected from the scientific literature and patent documents in the Scopus and National Institute of Industrial Property databases, using a combination of terms, such as “family farm* OR small-hold farm* OR agricultur* farm* labor OR farm* size OR peasant farm* OR agriculture* food* product* AND food* product*”. The asterisk (*) denotes a truncation character used in articles and patent databases to perform a search using multiple terms with the same root but different suffixes. A total of 716 articles and 532 patents were identified. The data from the scientific articles provide an overview of family farming participation in the development of food products and how products that are developed by family farmers resonate with society. The patent documents found showed the development of innovative production technologies, such as machines and production methods to improve the quality of the products sold by family farmers. Therefore, there is great potential for family farming foods to advance in this technological area, with the prospect of increasing publications and new patent applications related to this subject.

For the conversion of agricultural commodities into consumable and marketable food products, science and technology are now enabling amazing advances in food process automation. Mechanization has achieved startling reductions in the labor requirements of processing operations between farm and fork, and now automation has begun reducing the considerable human sensory input component involved in many food processing operations. Automation allows processors to satisfy high-volume demand and distribution needs with greater efficiency while also providing greater flexibility and responsiveness in maintaining and improving food quality and safety. Food safety remains bigger than ever in consumer awareness, with incidents of contamination and outbreaks of food borne illness rooted in problems ranging across the food system, from the fields and livestock of producers to the operations of processors, distributors, and retail establishments. Solutions to many of these problems can be effectively implemented through automation, provided that new sensing technologies are appropriately developed for specialized applications in the food production and distribution system, and that both technical knowledge and understanding of food safety and security needs are shared between those who develop the automation technologies and those who will implement them. Food process automation will depend on both fundamental and applied research in sensor technologies for process control and monitoring, as well as data management strategies for product tracking and traceability, packaging and distribution, and sanitation and inspection. This special issue of Sensing and Instrumentation for Food Quality and Safety highlights some of the new technologies, ideas and research findings currently being developed for food process automation by researchers from academia, government, and industry worldwide. The articles in this special issue cover recent advances in different aspects of food process automation, and also provide overviews of spectroscopy-based monitoring technologies and of systems, standards, and interfaces for automated food processing operations. Ghoush and Jayas first present the basic working principles of a broad spectral range of techniques currently used for automated food process monitoring, ranging from ultraviolet spectroscopy to nuclear magnetic resonance. Significant quality and safety improvements in food processing have come about from the integration of these nondestructive techniques. Next is a broad review by Mahalik of systems, standards, and interfaces for advanced automation in the food process industry, covering a variety of technologies for processing and packaging and the current state of the art. The use of radio frequency identification (RFID) is a significant and growing trend in food distribution system management. Amador et al. present the use of RFID technologies for process traceability, with particular focus on real-time monitoring the environment of food products along the supply chain to enable rapid decision making and the capture of long duration temperature profiles. Laniel K. Chao (&) M. S. Kim Environmental Microbial and Food Safety Lab, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD, USA e-mail: kevin.chao@ars.usda.gov

Can the combination of computer aided food engineering and electro-heating applications contribute to food processing sustainability? To what United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) this combination could contribute? Those are the questions addressed in this perspective. SDG7 is aimed to ensure the access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable and modern energy for all. According to World Bank, ensuring access to modern food cooking solutions is a key component to achieving for SDG7, and -since cooking is mainly based on heating processing- also the access to modern food heating solutions must be considered as a key component to achieving for SDG7. Electro-heating applications (EHA) in food processing include all processes using the interaction of a food material or product with an electromagnetic field, as in microwave, radio-frequency, and moderate electric fields processing. These technologies involve the use of electrical and -more recently- electronic circuits and require professional figures in their design. As result, the installation cost of these technologies is way higher than installation cost for heating processes using fossil sources, as fuel for fire boilers, as an example. Furthermore, at industrial level, these technologies may require ad-hoc design. Consequently, the food processing industry is quite slow in embracing such technologies along the productive lines. Computer aided food engineering (CAFE) has been recognized as valuable approach to shifts the paradigm from trial-and-error-based design to model-based design, using digital tools for the virtual representation of a food product or process, predicting the behavior of it. The combination of CAFE and EHA is the only way to help the food industry to embrace sustainability in most operations in which the heat transfer is involved. This paper presents a viewpoint on the challenges and opportunity to combine CAFE and EHAs as contribution to food processing sustainability.

Advances and innovations associated with the use of acoustic energy in food processing: An updated review

The development of new food products to meet the needs of the 20th century American consumer offers a greater challenge to the innovativeness of the food industry scientist than ever before. The sequence of activities that leads to the introduction of a successful new food product into today's highly competitive marketplace has its beginnings and foundation in extensive and ongoing market research. This research elicits and defines the changing consumer needs and wants. The relation of diet to health is but one of many factors that influence food purchase decisions and, thus, the stimulus for developing new food products. In addition, the extent to which existing food products may be modified or new foods developed to meet dietary goals is subject to technologic and regulatory constraints. A commitment to ethical and responsible marketing strategies is essential to the evolution of food products for special dietary needs. Despite these complex restraints, many food products with altered nutrient or ingredient composition are currently available to consumers and others enter the marketplace each year.

Internet of Things in food processing and its potential in Industry 4.0 era: A review

Enzymes, as macromolecular biocatalysts, play an essential role in various food processing operations, including juice, baking, brewing, and dairy production. However, their applications are often constrained by poor thermal and pH stability, as well as sensitivity to chemical inhibitors. Enzyme immobilization, as one of the most effective tools in the food industry, offers a solution to these problems. Its principal advantage lies in the ability to shield enzymes from harsh environmental conditions, such as elevated temperatures and extreme pH levels, and it can be readily recovered or recycled compared to its free forms. In addition to the benefits of enzyme immobilization itself, the integration of enzymes with nanotechnology holds great promise for improving the efficiency and specificity of enzyme-based processes in food industry. The use of nanomaterials as carriers for enzymes can increase the surface area available for enzyme-catalyzed reactions, leading to higher yields and faster processing times. Overall, this review highlights the significance of enzyme immobilization and nanotechnology in the food industry and their potential for future advancement. The integration of these technologies can lead to the development of new food products and the improvement of existing processes, ultimately contributing to the sustainability and competitiveness of the food industry.

Functional foods are designed to provide health benefits in addition to supplying essential nutrients. They effectively prevent various diseases due to their vitamin, mineral, bioactive, probiotic, and fiber content, and potentially improve the quality of life. The concept has attracted attention due to the relationship between human nutrition and health. These foods are specially formulated and produced to present enhanced efficiency. Lifestyle-related health problems such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, and gastrointestinal disorders, increase the demand for healthy, nutritious, and safe food products. Indeed, functional foods have the potential to improve people's eating and drinking habits. These traits, coupled with the positive results obtained, have increased consumer awareness, and hence, the functional foods sector has proliferated. The global functional food market is deemed to reach hundreds of billions of dollars in the coming years with a significant growth curve. According to the 2018 data, its market was approximately 170 billion US dollars, while this value has approximately doubled in 5 years and is estimated to reach 300 billion USD in 2025. The market is primarily driven by North America, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific (1-4). This research topic covers cutting-edge research on (i) the design and development of food products with novel and improved functional properties, (ii) identifying the challenges that may be encountered during the integration of bioactive components into food products, (iii) identifying technologies that can compensate with the challenges, and (iv) investigating the functional activities of new food ingredients. Emphasizing the potential benefits and health effects of the developed functional food ingredients and determining the market value of functional food products, challenges associated with the processing of functional foods and alternative strategies are also covered. These clear and realistic objectives shed light on the design and development of functional food products using bioactive components with high nutritional value and advanced bioavailability properties. This research topic presents the latest research and review articles on the consumption of bioactive compounds, related health effects, and their correlation with demographic properties. Hye-Young Kwon (5) from Mokwon University, Republic of Korea, studied the multifaceted analysis using data from the nationally representative health and nutrition review survey conducted in South Korea. Within the scope of the study, the relationship between the consumption of dietary supplements and society's socioeconomic factors was determined. The individuals with high socioeconomic status in the context of education, health, and income were indicated to be more likely to use dietary supplements consistently. It further emphasized the need to support equitable access to dietary supplements for different socioeconomic groups. The team of Xiaojie Zheng (6) from Wenzhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China, investigated the effects of black tea extract on D-galactose-induced skin quality and signs of aging in mice. The results indicated that black tea extract significantly increases skin elasticity, hydration, and antioxidant enzyme activity by reducing oxidative stress. However, future studies are needed to understand the mechanisms of the relevant bioactive components and determine the potential of the integration of these ingredients into cosmetic products. Wang Liao’s team (7) from Southeast University, China, investigated the potential hypoglycemic effects of pea protein hydrolysate in mice with dietary and chemically induced diabetes. The results indicated that pea protein hydrolysate lowered blood sugar and could provide improvements in insulin sensitivity levels suggesting that pea protein hydrolysate could be an effective nutritional ingredient in treating diabetes. In addition, the potential effect of functional foods on blood glucose regulation was exemplified, and the necessity of clinical trials was emphasized. Alexandru Nicolescu's team (8) at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Romania, compiled the health effects and bioaccessibility of various phytochemicals used in nutraceuticals and functional foods. The study focused on how food interactions affect bioaccessibility in the context of matrix and processing methods. Their results showed that bioaccessibility values varied significantly between different phytochemicals. The significance of using different food processing techniques to enhance the efficiency of phytochemicals and process optimization was also emphasized.Even though the significance and health benefits have been well established, there are also several concerns regarding functional foods. There is a need for further research on the cumulative risks and safety of the bioactives in these products. In addition, the interactions of different functional compounds in the context of the food matrix need to be studied in more detail. More importantly, indiscriminately defining the developed products as functional is a controversial issue. Thus, determining whether such products have a biological effect needs to be investigated and we believe this will become one of the essential fields of study in the near future. Harmonizing and reconsidering legal regulations is another critical issue that needs attention. Studies on these areas will directly contribute to the design, processing, and marketing of functional foods, and the future holds significant prospects.

Author Index

Enzymes in food bioprocessing — novel food enzymes, applications, and related techniques

Indian food products and processing industry has seen significant growth and changes over the past few years, driven by changing trends in markets, changing demographics, growing population and rapid urbanisation. It is one of the labour intensive industries having the potential to provide massive skilled as well as unskilled employment to the growing Indian labour-force. The objective of this study is to investigate the employment elasticity of food products and processing industry in India at aggregate as well as disaggregate levels using Annual Survey of Industry data. Further, performance of food products and processing industry is also compared with the total organised manufacturing sector. The findings suggest a decline in the level of employment and output of food products and processing industry in India over the period 1999-2015. The decline may be due to fall in the share of major four sub-industries namely sugar, grain mill products, vegetable and animal oils and fats, and other food products. Any fluctuation in the growth of these industries would affect the overall growth of food products and processing industry. The resultant employment elasticity also declined over the period from 0.17 in 1999-2007 to 0.15 in 2008-2015. Significant difference is also seen in the value of employment elasticity at sub-industries level in the food products and processing industry over the period. However, food products industry is having the capability to drive the Indian economy towards higher growth because of strong comparative advantage over other nations and other sectors, with attention to investment, and generation of skilled man-power

Due to supply chain disruptions and sourcing uncertainties, multinational and large food manufacturers, retailers and suppliers are investing in New Food Product Development (NFPD) to add value and differentiate themselves from homogeneous food markets. However, for start-up food companies, especially in the NFPD field and within marketing research, this is difficult to do. This article’s aim is to analyse a microalgae milk pioneer and proteinalternative food technology company, its emerging NFPD, and its focused values, highlighting the differences with prior evolutions. A design science methodology and case study are applied. The findings show that technologydriven NFPD, with an integrative process, is promising. Moreover, a diversified and plant-based NFPD is encouraged as it creates sustainability values for consumer well-being by enhancing food technology and business performance. This study contributes to the NFPD literature and marketing research by improving current understandings of how to implement sustainability through technological breakthroughs and innovation in the NFPD process. In addition, it makes a methodological contribution by means of demonstrating how design science can help researchers think outside the box and create practical research to provide valuable solutions. Finally, this is the first study to use design science guidelines to create the NFPD value chain framework.

Gastronomy and the development of new food products: Technological prospection

Valorisation of food agro-industrial by-products: From the past to the present and perspectives