Innovative Food Processing Technologies

In recent years, a number of innovative (also referred to as emerging or novel) food processing technologies have been developed with the aim of improving or replacing conventional technologies by utilizing additional or alternative physics phenomena such as high hydrostatic pressure, electric and electromagnetic fields, and acoustic pressure waves. These technologies can potentially deliver higher-quality food products and improve the safety and quality of conventional foods through milder processing. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is already established as a tool for characterizing, improving, and optimizing traditional food processing technologies. Innovative technologies, however, provide greater complexity and challenges for modelers because of the additional concurrent and interacting Multiphysics phenomena. This book examines how Multiphysics modeling - that is, the simulation of the entire process comprising the equipment, varying process conditions and the thermophysical properties of the food to be treated - can be applied in the development, optimization and scale-up of innovative food processing technologies. An overview of the most recent research demonstrates how Multiphysics models can aid in improving process efficiency, assessing and solving the issues in the scale up of the process, and provide insights on product safety and quality in any location throughout a unit process. Technologies covered include: High Pressure Processing, High Pressure Thermal Sterilization, Microwave, Ultrasound, Ultraviolet, and Pulsed Electric Field Processing, as well as Continuous Chromatographic Separation. A wide range of applications in liquid and solid foods, comprising low or reduced temperature pasteurization and sterilization in batch and continuously operating systems are showcased. The book is directed at food and process engineers, food technologists, equipment designers, and research and development personnel including microbiologists, both in industry and academia. Innovative Food Processing Technologies: Advances in Multiphysics Simulation extensively describes the importance and the methods for applying Multiphysics modeling for the design, development, and application of these technologies.