Engineering and enhanced product confidence and safety

摘要

Engineering has traditionally been viewed as being the mechanics of the machinery used to manufacture food and has not been recognized for the added-value contribution that can be offered towards product safety. Food processing equipment must not only be designed to perform the mechanical function that is desired, consideration must also be given to hygienic aspects. No amount of HACCP-based management of the specification of raw materials or the operation of the factory machinery will compensate for poor hygienic design of equipment. Engineering sciences, particularly the understanding of the principles of heating, cooling, and pumping, are key to the assurance of product safety and quality. In many industry sectors, great benefits are derived from the application of appropriate simulation techniques of processes and their efficacy. Food manufacturing lags behind other sectors in finding a role for process simulation. A number of opportunities have been identified in recent years and offer the food sector many prospects. These opportunities include: (a) computational fluid dynamics, (b) heat transfer models for packaged foods, (c) alternative chemical-based systems, and (d) hazard analysis. There is a significant added value to be achieved from the combination of advanced engineering sciences and food science/microbiology to aid the development of advanced and innovative food products and processes.