In conventional thermal processing systems, heat energy is transferred through conduction and convection from a hot medium to a cooler product that may result in large temperature gradients and uneven temperature distribution with the product. Heat exchangers typically utilize pressurized steam from petroleum-fired boilers with less than 25 – 30 percent of the energy conversion. […]

Why Ultraviolet-C Light Is a Superior Processing Solution For Juice Blends The growing demand for health-promoting fruit and vegetable juice blends, with improved nutritional and sensory attributes, has prompted the adoption of nonthermal technologies, including ultraviolet (UV-C) light at 253.7 nm.  Below are 14 reasons why UV-C can become a superior solution and suitable alternative […]

Microwave Processing – Description             While in-home microwaves have been common in the U.S. since the late 1960s, larger-scale industrial processing using either batch or continuous microwave systems has been commercialized relatively recently.  Microwaves can preserve fruits and vegetables by heating, pasteurizing and sterilizing foods using electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range.  This energy […]

5 Ready-To-Use Minimal Preservation Technologies for Fruit, Vegetable and Nut Based Cold Pressed Juices There is a big buzz about the benefits of cold pressed fruit and vegetable juices and nut based beverages. The premium cold-pressed industry has been valued at an estimated $3.4 billion and is expected to experience a strong growth in the […]

Light based technologies started to emerge in food processing practices due to their broad antimicrobial action, low cost and non-thermal purely physical nature. The techniques such as continuous UV-C at 254 nm, pulsed light (from 170 to 1000 nm) and pulsed UV (from 200 to 400nm), and recently light emitting diodes (LEDs, in the range […]

Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2015) recommended to consume at least 2.5 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruits daily (Based on 2000 kcal/day diet) as they provide many health benefits including prevention of chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, cancer, diabetes.  Health promoting effects of fruits and vegetables have been attributed to their […]

A technical guidance, published by GMA, identifies the seven main control measures for the control of Salmonella in low moisture foods.  One key control measure includes minimization of cross-contamination, which can occur during processing or post-processing.  Proper cleaning and sanitation is vital to ensure uncontaminated low moisture foods do not become contaminated post-lethality.  When dealing […]

Plant derived polyphenolic compounds are well known for their bioactivities such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action in the human system, which would have important implications in health maintenance and chronic disease risk reduction.  The health outcome of the polyphenolic compounds are related to the amounts, the specific chemical structures present in the plants, and bioavailability/bioactivity […]

What types of fruit & vegetable products are the best candidates for preservation by HPP? Although high pressure processing achieved much of its early success with applications to halved avocadoes, whole fruits and vegetables are in general not good candidates for HPP. A number of studies have found that detrimental changes occur in cell integrity, […]

Salmonella inactivation during extrusion processing Extruded products, such as snacks, cereals, textured vegetable protein and pet foods, remain a highly recalled category of low moisture foods.  In the production of extruded products, an initial dry product formulation is fed into the hopper, where it is combined with added moisture, mixed, cooked, and formed.  The residence […]