FOOD PROCESSING

• Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into finished and semi-finished products.
• Food processing requires good quality raw materials from either plant and/or animal source to be converted into attractive, marketable and often long shelf-life food products.
• Food processing is what happens between the farm and the consumer.
• The amount of processing varies from food to food.
• Roots and tubers should be stored in a cool, dry, dark place.
• Canned vegetables should be kept on the shelf at room temperature and used within a year.
• Minimally Processed foods are washed, peeled, sliced, juiced, frozen, dried, or pasteurized.
• Storing vegetables requires examining them first before putting them away to ensure they are dry to prevent mold growth.
• Cut vegetables should be kept in tightly-sealed plastic containers.
• Frozen vegetables should be used immediately when thawed.
• Moderately Processed foods may also be cooked, ingredients mixed, and some additives may be added.
• Highly Processed foods are mostly or fully prepared for eating.
• Raw product from the farm includes cranberries which grow on a bush and are washed, bagged, and sold whole.
• Wheat, which grows in a field and the seed is harvested, is ground into whole wheat flour and packaged.
• The endosperm of wheat is ground into white flour and packaged.
• Wheat seed is ground into flour, and additional ingredients are added to make pasta.
• Food processing removes unwanted matters from the food, makes food safe for consumption, increases digestibility, enhances flavour, colour and taste, improves texture and consistency, and minimizes nutrient loss.
• Food processing often makes food safer by killing existing bacteria and slowing bacterial growth.
• Examples of preserving food through food processing include fermenting, salting, canning, pasteurising, freezing, drying.
• Processing foods provides the consumer with a wider choice in terms of flavour, texture, smell, colour, and shape.
• Consumer demand and lifestyle choices have led to the development of a wide variety of convenience and fast food.
• Consumer health concerns have led to an increased demand for healthier food choices, for example, lower salt, fat and/or sugar.
• Food products are sometimes fortified to improve the nutritional profile.
• Types of rice include brown, which is the whole grain form of rice; parboiled, which is soaked in warm water, drained, steamed, and dried to preserve nutrients; and precooked (instant), which has been cooked, rinsed, and dried by a special process before packaging, making it quick cooking.
• Types of flour include whole wheat and white flour, with white flour being created when the wheat germ and bran are removed during processing.
• Undesired consequences of food processing include losses of certain nutrients due to processing, formation of undesired compounds, formation of compounds that have a negative effect on flavour perception, loss of texture, and discolouration.
• Food processing includes thermal, non-thermal, pasteurisation, sterilisation, blanching, cooking, drying, cold treatment, chemical preservatives, food additives, milling, UV irradiation, fermentation, and grains such as wheat, rye, oats, barley, corn, buckwheat, and rice.
• Poultry is the collective term for domesticated birds bred for eating, including chicken, duck, goose, turkey, and pigeon.
• Nutrients may be added to products to replace nutrients lost during food processing, add extra nutrients that would not normally be present, or produce a substitute product with similar nutritive value.
• Examples of functional food include dairy products containing probiotic bacteria, cholesterol lowering spreads, drinks and cereal bars, Omega 3 eggs, and other functional foods or drinks fortified with a nutrient that would not usually be present to any great extent, such as folic acid fortified bread or breakfast cereals.
• Grains are used in 4 main forms: flour, cereals, pasta, and rice.
• Functional food provides benefits over and above their basic nutritional value.
• Cooking grain products improves palatability and digestibility, with starch granules absorbing water and swelling during cooking, causing the products to soften and increase in volume.
• Cereals cooked in the microwave take the same amount of time to cook as on the range, are less likely to burn in the microwave, can be prepared and served in the same microwavable dish, and should be covered during cooking.
• Rice, pasta, and breakfast cereals can all be cooked in the microwave.
• Dry-Heat methods of preparation include Roasting, Baking, Broiling, Grilling, and Frying.
• Some of the nutrients may be lost during cooking.
• Changes in meat protein during cooking include a decrease in length of fiber causing shrinkage.
• Changes in pigment in meat during cooking include a change from bright red color to grayish brown.
• Properly prepared poultry is tender and juicy, but overcooking causes the flesh to become dry, tough, and stringy.