Innovative, Novel and/or Alternative Concepts in Food Processing for Enhancing, Safety, Stability and/or Quality

创新和新颖的概念在食品加工的各个领域不断发展。在热加工中，为了提高传热率和减少加工时间以提高产品质量，在加工过程中，容器的搅拌方式已经发展出许多新颖的方法。新型加热介质如微波、射频和欧姆加热已被用于提高工艺效率。此外，通过使用高压加工（HPP）、脉冲电场等引入了许多非热加工技术。申请人引进了创新的干燥方法，通过渗透干燥和微波加热相结合，有效地生产高价值产品。为了获得最佳效果，了解基本原理和潜在机制至关重要，这样可以成功地针对工业应用优化过程。食品工业不断努力修改或调整其生产实践，以适应消费者不断变化的需求，以便能够在市场上保持竞争力。在过去的25年里，申请人的研究项目的总体长期主题是有效地利用创新和新颖的概念来改进食品加工，以达到更好的质量，延长保质期，提高安全性，提高食品的效率和适销性。以下是建议项目的三个主要目标：

Innovative and novel concepts are continuously evolving in every area of food processing. In thermal processing, many novelties have evolved in the way containers are agitated during processing to improve the rate of heat transfer and reduce the process times to result in better product quality. Novel heating media such as MW, RF and ohmic heating have been used to promote process efficiency. Further, many non-thermal processing techniques have been introduced through the use of high pressure processing (HPP), pulsed electric field etc. The applicant has introduced innovative drying methods through a combination of osmotic drying and microwave heating to efficiently produce high value products. In order to get the best, it is essential to understand the basic principles and underlying mechanisms such that the processes can be successfully optimized for industrial applications. Food industry constantly strives to revise or adjust its manufacturing practices to the changing needs of the consumers to be able to stay competitive in the marketplace. For the past 25 years, the overall long range theme of the applicant's program of research has been to effectively use innovative and novel concepts to improve food processing to achieve better quality, extend shelf-life, enhance safety, and improve efficiency and marketability of food products. The following are the three main objectives of the proposed project: 1. Innovative Thermal Processing: In the next five years, an innovative thermal processing technique that combines steam and sound will be explored for reducing the barrier to heat transfer in both packaged and unpacked foods. These studies will create novel processing methods for both in-container and surface decontamination of pathogens in meats, fruits and vegetables. This area is largely unexplored and results will facilitate a novel method of food processing 2. Novel Drying: A continuous medium flow microwave spray system has been developed by the applicant (MWODS) for rapid drying and better product quality. This technique will be combined with a choice of solute mixtures and optimized to get even better results. Further, high nutritive value products will be prepared through MWODS impregnation to enrich both liquid and solid based components in to the solid matrix. 3.Novel non-thermal processing: HPP will be extended to hitherto unexplored areas like HP impregnation, hydration and acidification techniques which would improve process efficiency and product quality. For chickpeas and other pulses, acid and salt can be infused at higher levels to improve efficiency and count on de-salting and de-acidifying during cooking. Applicant's research, as in previous years, is expected to train highly qualified professionals (MSc, PhDs) and advance knowledge in the effective application of novel and innovative food processing techniques for improving process efficiency, productivity of food processors and profitability for Canadian food industry.