Food Engineering Reviews

Nachal, N.; Moses, J.; Karthik, P.; Anandharamakrishnan, C.

doi: 10.1007/s12393-019-09199-8pmid: N/A

3D printing is an innovation that promises to revolutionize food formulation and manufacturing processes. Preparing foods with customized sensory attributes from different ingredients and additives has always been a need. The competency that additive manufacturing offers has been among the key reasons for its success in food processing applications. In this work, an up-to-date review on insight into the properties of printing material supplies and its effect on printing processes is presented. A detailed note on the globalization of customized printed foods, personalized nutrition, and applications in food packaging to highlight the range of applications of 3D printing in the food industry is also given. Importantly, key challenges in 3D food printing, emphasizing the need for future research in this field are elaborated.

Su, Wen-Hao; Sun, Da-Wen

doi: 10.1007/s12393-019-09191-2pmid: N/A

Liquid foods play important roles in the development of human culture due to their own peculiarities. Mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy combines several advantages such as non-invasive operation and high-efficiency detection and is thus proposed to be a prospective alternative to conventional techniques for food quality assessment. However, no reviews on MIR spectroscopic analysis of liquid food products are reported. This review summarizes the recent research progress of MIR chemical sensing methods for determinations of the authenticity and related quality attributes of liquid foods (such as milk, edible oils, alcoholic beverages, honeys, and vegetable and fruit juices). The characteristics and applications of MIR spectroscopic technique in tandem with chemometrics, along with the major challenges and future prospects, are discussed. MIR spectroscopy has great potential to fulfill the need of food industry for quality and authenticity analysis of liquid foods. Nevertheless, further measurements and analyses based on the existing results of food inspection are still required. It is believed that this review will be an effective signpost for scholars in related research fields to study the comprehensive quality of liquid food products.

Álvarez-Hernández, Marianela; Martínez-Hernández, Ginés; Avalos-Belmontes, Felipe; Castillo-Campohermoso, Marco; Contreras-Esquivel, Juan; Artés-Hernández, Francisco

doi: 10.1007/s12393-019-09193-0pmid: N/A

Potassium permanganate (KMnO4) is a powerful ethylene (C2H4)-scavenging agent widely used in fresh horticultural commodities to delay the postharvest maturation. According to databases, it has been used for almost 50 years in food-packaging systems, and over 70 studies have evaluated its effects on fresh produce quality, mainly on climacteric fruit. However, the use of KMnO4-based technology remains limited at a commercial scale, since there are still lots of doubts on its potential as an effective postharvest tool, as well as in relation with health, environmental and safety concerns. Depending on the commodity, and even the variety, these scavengers may have different effects, but overall, they can delay ripening/senescence-related processes such as chlorophyll degradation/colour changes, weight and firmness losses, disorders and diseases, acidity and sugar changes. This review comprises an updated overview of the current knowledge regarding the use of KMnO4 as C2H4-scavenging agent, providing a concise appraisal on KMnO4-based C2H4 removal application and its effect on the quality of fresh produce. KMnO4 is commonly supported onto microporous mineral particles, which are placed into small sachets to avoid direct food contact within packages. Generally, KMnO4-based C2H4 scavengers are jointly used with modified atmosphere packaging. Hence, KMnO4-based C2H4-scavenging systems, as an active food-packaging technology, seem to be a relevant option to preserve the quality and safety of fresh horticultural produce. Nevertheless, although there are many KMnO4-based products available in the market, which are presently reviewed, more research is required in order to obtain an optimal C2H4-scavenger performance.

Rodriguez-Martinez, Veronica; Velazquez, Gonzalo; Massa-Barrera, Sofia; Welti-Chanes, Jorge; Fagotti, Fabian; Torres, J.

doi: 10.1007/s12393-019-09192-1pmid: N/A

This article overviews the technological evolution of residential refrigerators, key national and international regulations covering them, and summarizes the information available to estimate the quality and safety deterioration in foods and beverages stored in them. At present, the national and international government standardized performance tests used to assess residential refrigerators focus on energy consumption. Efforts by refrigerator manufacturers to consider the impact of temperature fluctuation, temperature recovery, extreme ambient temperature, door openings, and other factors affecting temperature control and, thus, food safety and quality need to be harmonized, validated, and implemented as official standardized tests. Published predictive models here summarized, and describing microbial growth and other product degradation mechanisms, could be combined with energy efficiency evaluations in future science-based regulations seeking a balance between energy consumption and food preservation. While numerous mathematical models are available, this review identified a serious lack of model parameter values to allow a combined assessment of energy consumption and food preservation in residential refrigerators. Much of past research has focused on temperature abuse effects and, thus, not applicable to estimating food preservation under the prevailing temperatures in residential refrigerators. Particularly urgent is the data on the microorganisms’ response at multiple temperature levels, allowing the development of secondary models to assess the temperature effect on the safety and quality of a diverse but representative pool of products. New standardized testing procedures could then be developed to guide the design of new residential refrigerators minimizing food waste and the frequency of foodborne diseases while meeting energy consumption requirements.

Bär, R.; Voigt, T.

doi: 10.1007/s12393-019-09195-ypmid: N/A

Since the production of food and beverages is energy-intensive, the political, economic, ecologic and social conditions are posing a challenge to the manufacturing industry. Small- and medium-sized companies in particular lack the time and knowledge to identify and implement suitable energy efficiency measures. With the help of computer-aided solutions, decision-makers can pursue numerous approaches and make well-founded decisions. The aim of this review is to summarise and critically discuss current analysis and prediction methods concerning energy and media consumption in the beverage industry. To date, there have been no tools or approaches available that permit a simple, holistic analysis and prediction. Breweries serve as a good example for the beverage industry due to numerous and various complex processes. To identify energy-saving potential, the main consumers and consumption structures within the brewery are presented. Current approaches such as simulations, pinch analyses, benchmarks and real-time operating systems are briefly explained, and the relevant publications related to the beverage industry described and categorised. The critical comparison of the different approaches clearly shows that simulation enables a holistic analysis and prediction of energy and media consumption in the brewery. Since the data basis is mostly insufficient and this method requires expert knowledge, we propose a holistic modelling and simulation approach. An easy-to-use and context-free modelling environment should enable the generation of a simulation model, with limited expertise or effort.