Introduction to Food Process Engineering

This text introduces the basic principles of food engineering, providing readers with a good understanding of what food process engineering encompasses. The text begins with an overview of basic concepts of unit operations, familiarizing readers with fundamental ideas regarding processes. It then reviews key topics in food process engineering, covering the physical properties of food, traditional fluid mechanics, and heat transfer. The text examines transport phenomena, momentum, energy, and mass balances, as well as macroscopic balances. It also discusses food processing and food preservation technologies and food packaging.

Consumer expectations are systematically growing, with demands for foods with a number of attributes, which are sometimes difficult for manufacturers to meet. The engineering processes that are needed to obtain top-quality foods are a major challenge due to the diversity of raw materials, intermediates, and final products. As in any other enterprise, the food industry must optimize each of the steps in the production chain to attain the best possible results. There is no question that a very important aspect to take into consideration when developing a process, designing a food factory, or modifying existing facilities is the in-depth knowledge of the basic engineering aspects involved in a given project.

, by the same authors. These two books can be consulted independently, but at the same time, there is a significant and welcomed match between the two in terms of terminology, definitions, units, symbols, and nomenclature.

Highlights of the book include:

• Dimensional analysis and similarities
• Physicochemistry of food systems
• Heat and mass transfer in food
• Food rheology
• Physical properties
• Water activity
• Thermal processing
• Chilling and freezing
• Evaporation
• Dehydration
• Extensive examples, problems, and solutions