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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Healthy Processed Foods Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #323389
Research Project: New Sustainable Processing Technologies to Produce Healthy, Value-Added Foods from Specialty Crops

Location: Healthy Processed Foods Research

Title: Infrared processing of foods

Author
item Pan, Zhongli
item VENKITASAMY, CHANDRASEKAR - University Of California
item LI, XUAN - University Of California

Submitted to: Elsevier
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/3/2015
Publication Date: 2/15/2016
Citation: Pan, Z., Venkitasamy, C., Li, X. 2016. Infrared processing of foods. In: Geoffrey, W.S., editor. Reference Module in Food Science. Elsevier. Available: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B978008100596503105X.

Interpretive Summary: IR processing has shown advantages over conventional processing in several unit operations including drying, peeling, baking, roasting, blanching, pasteurization, sterilization, disinfection, disinfestation, cooking, and popping. The chapter summarizes fundamentals of IR heating and its applications for several food processing operations as an alternative and sustainable method to enhance process efficiency and to reduce energy and water usage. IR heating in general can provide safe and high quality products with increased shelf-life. Precision and flexibility in engineering design of IR heating equipment provide excellent environmental and economic merits as compared to conventional thermal processing applications design. Though IR heating applications in the food processing industry is currently limited, the increasing need for improved product quality, safety, and energy and processing efficiency is expected to drive the industrialization of IR technologies for food and agricultural processing.

Technical Abstract: Infrared (IR) processing of foods has been gaining popularity over conventional processing in several unit operations, including drying, peeling, baking, roasting, blanching, pasteurization, sterilization, disinfection, disinfestation, cooking, and popping . It has shown advantages over conventional processing depending upon applications by virtues of its improved uniform heating, reduced heating time, minimal product quality loss, absence of solute migration in food materials, simple and compact equipment design, significant energy saving, and clean and safe products. This module covers an exhaustive discussion on the mechanism of IR heating of foods and advances made in applications of IR heating on different food processing operations. The IR heating technologies which are commercially available are also reported. The needs for improved product quality, safety, and energy and processing efficiency are expected to drive the industrialization of IR technologies in food and agricultural processing.