Food processing
Food processing refers to the transformation of raw plant and animal materials—such as grains, vegetables, meats, and dairy—into food products suitable for consumption. This process includes a range of techniques, from basic methods like washing and freezing to more complex operations like canning and pasteurization. Historically, food processing has been practiced for centuries, with ancient civilizations employing methods like salting and fermentation to preserve food. Modern food processing is predominantly carried out by food manufacturers in industrial settings, where products are categorized into minimally processed foods, processed food ingredients, and highly processed foods.
Minimally processed foods retain much of their natural state, while processed ingredients are often used in cooking and baking. Highly processed foods, designed for convenience, typically involve a combination of natural and processed components but may lack essential nutrients. Food safety and preservation are key aspects of food processing, aimed at extending shelf life and preventing spoilage. Despite the convenience and variety offered by processed foods, concerns about their nutritional value, health impacts, and environmental effects are ongoing, leading experts to recommend a diet rich in minimally processed options like fresh fruits and vegetables. As the food processing industry evolves, it faces challenges related to health, sustainability, and waste reduction.
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Food processing
Food and beverage industries practice food processing, transforming raw plant and animal materials, such as grains, produce, meat, and dairy, into other food-based products. The majority of the food currently available for purchase is processed in some form, given that processing food can be defined by a variety of techniques—for example, freezing vegetables, grinding wheat to produce flour, and frying sliced potatoes to create potato chips. Current food processing techniques employ modern technology; however, food processing has been undertaken for centuries. Early Egyptians brewed beer and baked leavened bread, while the ancient Greeks created salted pork.
Modern-day food processing occurs in plants and factories and is administered by companies called food manufacturers, whereas traditional food preparation takes place in household kitchens. However, both modern and traditional food preparation employ similar activities, such as washing and cooking. Modern food processing has negative connotations for some people, who associate highly processed foods with harmful health effects on consumers. Modern food has several levels of processing and undergoes different procedures at each level, based mainly on the requirements of the final food product and consumer satisfaction.
Background
Food manufacturers conduct food processing in factories to produce readily available food products. Different products undergo varying levels of food processing, depending on the final food product, and are classified into three main categories—minimally processed food, processed food ingredients, and highly processed food. Milk is considered minimally processed, and toaster pastries are highly processed, whereas flour is considered a processed food ingredient. More complex processing steps often involve a vast array of ingredients not typically found in household kitchens (such as dyes, sweeteners, artificial flavors, hydrogenated oils, and emulsifiers) and may take a few days of preparation.
Fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, meat, and milk are retailed as minimally processed food, especially if these foods have not been significantly changed from their raw, natural forms and have preserved the majority of their nutritional properties. Minimal processing actions include washing, peeling, slicing, juicing, eliminating inedible parts, freezing, drying, and fermenting. In addition, perishable foods require additional preservatives or sterile sealing for packaging to ensure longer shelf lives and minimize pathogen growth, especially in foods and beverages that have been processed through heat (such as pasteurized milk).
Processed food ingredients—flour, fats, sugar, sweeteners, starch, high fructose corn syrup, margarine, butter, and vegetable oil—are rarely eaten by themselves and are used for cooking or the production of more highly processed foods. Food ingredients are created from starting materials, such as grain and oil seeds, that are submitted for additional milling, refining, crushing, or chemical exposure to greatly alter the original state of the materials. Processed ingredients are typically nutrient-poor and high in calories in comparison to the amount of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients present in the ingredients.
Highly processed foods are created from a combination of natural foods, minimally processed foods, and processed food ingredients. These foods are manufactured to require the least amount of effort or preparation from the consumer, are mostly portable, and are produced ready to eat. Ready-made snacks include chips, desserts, biscuits, cereal bars, cakes, pastries, ice cream, and soft drinks. Food manufacturers also create highly processed animal products such as smoked, canned, salted, and cured meats, as well as meat remnants (hot dogs and sausages). Conversely, meat alternatives for vegetarians are also highly processed. Highly processed foods are the most complex out of the three categories and require mixing, baking, frying, curing, and smoking. These foods lose the essential vitamins present in the natural state of food and require additional injections of vitamins and minerals, which has led nutritionists to question the nutritional value of most highly processed foods that are currently available in the market.
Overview
Food manufacturers process food to lengthen food shelf life, add value to the products, and produce more desirable food textures and tastes that are appealing to consumers. Early societies and civilizations used traditional food processing practices to minimized food spoilage, such as salting meats, dairy fermentation, and vegetable pickling. In the 1790s, Napoleon Bonaparte held a competition to develop the best and most scientific means of preserving food; this led Nicolas Appert to discover safe food canning. Louis Pasteur developed pasteurization while working with beer and wine, which was then used to extend the shelf life of milk, juice, and other liquid products.
In processing food, manufacturers always consider food safety, variety, convenience, and nutrition. Preservation is a critical aspect of food processing, because the consumption of spoiled food was historically a major cause of illness and death, especially when traveling. Current processing techniques have minimized pathogen survival and destroyed toxins present in the natural foods, while also inserting additional nutrients to foods that have undergone major processing. Heat processes such as pasteurization and cooking eradicate pathogens, while refrigeration, freezing, or adding salt or sugar hinders pathogen growth. Currently, most food-borne illnesses are caused by contaminated and unprocessed fruits, vegetables, and raw animal products.
Apart from the strong emphasis on preservation, food manufacturers must also constantly produce innovative flavors, textures, aromas, and colors to offer the consumer a variety of options. Food manufacturing companies present approximately 20,000 unique processed foods for retail each year, with only a few products successfully accepted for continuous production. The majority of these foods are candy, gum, snacks, and beverages, while others offer fortified, low-fat, low-sugar, low-cholesterol, or low-salt alternatives for consumer-favored products already present in the market.
Certain facets of the food processing industry regularly raise concern, especially regarding its dietary, health, economic, and environmental aspects. Perhaps most prominently, many food processing techniques affect the nutrient density of raw foods; the application of heat, for example, breaks down many vitamins and minerals. Thus, nutrition and health experts regularly advise eating more minimally processed foods, particularly fresh fruits and vegetables, and limiting consumption of processed foods. Also, chemicals in food packaging, such as bisphenol A (BPA), have from time to time been identified as leading to serious health concerns for both consumers and workers who come in contact with these materials. Apart from the nutritional and labor concerns, the food processing industry in the United States is under pressure to minimize packaging waste, concentrate on using local food systems, and consolidate operations. Food processing is the primary means of producing marketable food products in today’s consumer markets. Although the rich history of food preparation has greatly evolved, food science continues to introduce further innovations.
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