The application of heat is both an important method of preserving foods and a way of developing texture, flavor, and color. It has long been recognized that thermal technologies must ensure the safety of food without compromising food quality, but new research is rarely compiled. Improving the Thermal Processing of Foods summarizes the results of key investigations on improving particular thermal processing techniques and measuring their effectiveness.

The book begins by examining how to optimize thermal processes. Part 1 addresses safety, quality, efficiency, productivity, and the application of computational fluid dynamics. Part 2 focuses on developments in technologies for sterilization and pasteurization with chapters on modelling retort, temperature control, developments in packaging, sous vide, and cook-chill processing. Several chapters cover continuous heat processing and discusses developments in tubular heat exchangers, aseptic processing, and ohmic and air impingement heating. The fourth part considers the validation of thermal processes, modelling heat penetration curves, using data loggers, and time-temperature integrators, and other new measuring techniques. The final group of chapters details methods of analyzing microbial inactivation in thermal processing as well as identifying and dealing with heat-resistant bacteria.

Improving the Thermal Processing of Foods is a standard, comprehensive reference book for those working in the food processing industry.