Novel Food Processing Techniques
Novel foods are type foods that do not have a significant degree of human consumption before. They are type of foods that are processed following novel food regulation. Novel foods and food ingredients should not cause danger to the one consuming them (Hester & Harrison, 2001). They also should not disorient the consumer. There must be no difference between the novel foods and food ingredient and the foods they are meant to replace where by they are of disadvantage to the one consuming (Barbosa-Canovas & Tapia, 2005). There are some novel food applications which include the foods that have organisms whose the genetic materials are altered through some technologies. They are foods that are meant to lower cholesterol in the human body. Their affordable costs have enabled the food industry to produce them more.
There are some technologies used in novel food processing. One of the technologies is high pressure processing (Ramaswa,y, 2005). This type of processing starts from a mature level considering both the food science and equipment developments focusing on pasteurisation processes. This processing begins with extending the current state of the art to an integrated modelling approach (Ahvenainen, 2003). This first step includes safety of the food, its quality and the packaging aspects used. Sterilisation process immediately follows where pasteurisation is also included.
The other technology used is pulsed electric field. This processing commences at semi-immature level where food science and equipments developments are included (Fellows P. 2003). Here food safety and quality are well understood. Food electrode reactions is among the things that should be well understood. There are several applications for PEF that are addressed in this technology. It also includes the cost-effectiveness and environmental impact of novel food.
Cold plasma treatment is another technology used novel food processing. This begins at immature level of food science basis. Effects on safety and quality are not known in this type of technology (Saravacos, 2002,). Cold plasma is used to decontaminate surfaces. This begins with the development of small scale equipments. These equipments are used to evaluate the effects on material properties.
Advanced heating technologies are also used in food processing. This includes ohmic heating, microwave and radio frequency technologies (Barrett, 2004). Here these kind of technologies are have a need to be researched and then demonstrated following the the sound act of the scientific base (Deak, 2004). This type of food processing technology focuses on full scale integration in processing lines. It includes the hygienic design of the food, eco-friendliness and the foods efficiency.
Packaging also exists among the novel food processing techniques (Singh, 2004). This entails the integration of basic and applied issues that belongs to the area of material science, with concepts of bioactive. They can also be integrated in the concept of smart, biodegradable and eco-friendly packaging (Barrett, 2004). Coatings are also done for one to understand and know the interactions that occur in between the materials, products and the processes used.
The novel food processing has some people participating in this project. These participants have groups that they belong to. One of the groups is known as consortium. This group consists of people who belong to NovelQ and have signed a consortium agreement. These partners carry out a research as a joint. NovelQ comprises of experts on novel processing schemes. 30 partners in this group come from all over Europe an addition of one Argentina and the other from South Africa. All these partners are engaged in nationality funded projects where they enjoy the synergistic benefits (Dan-Wen Sun, 2005). These benefits are in association to working at national and regional levels.
Another widely known group is Industry advisory platform (EBSCO, 2007). This is a group that is established to transfer knowledge to potential consumers and technology providers. NovelQ has a characteristic of combining food manufacturers and equipment suppliers. This is known as cross-sectional approach. This has a side effect where the spending of two sectors is multiplied. Many companies have registered with Industry Advisory Platform where the current number is more 45. This group is known for exploiting and promoting results (Wilson, 2006). It also helps to identify the bottlenecks which are presented in the project to be examined. The companies in this group has a role to play where some are food manufacturers, suppliers of the food machinery equipments and others are packaging firms (Bengtsson, 2002). There is room for the new parties that are willing to join and are willing to participate in IAP of NovelQ.
Scientific Advisory Board is a group that consists of few senior scientists who are registered in NovelQ consortium. They are entitled to monitor and maintain high quality research. They also reviews the draft publications and try to keep contact with the experts that comes from other European research projects and organisation (Martin, 2006). They then extend their work in coaching and training young scientists who are in NovelQ.
There is also a group that is called Training and Career Development Network. All the organisations need someone who is well trained and has high skills of work. This group helps in creating enthusiasm and self confidence in the young scientists in NovelQ. It also passes knowledge to them (Tucker, 2006). There is an advantage of having young scientists in the project for they have an opportunity to acquire knowledge from the experts who are outside their working environment (Mattsson, 2003). All the young scientists within the consortium have a passion to share their skills with organisations outside the NovelQ consortium. Sometimes the scientists spend their time in the laboratories of other partners so that they can get joint results.
The main objective of the projects is to come up with a strategic solution for technical and basic research hurdles (Anon, 2000). This brings about development and successful demonstration of novel processing schemes. The novel processing characteristics improves the quality of the food and also facilitates its innovation. It then increases the added value of the EU food sector through many ways. One of them is substantially extending shelf-life fresh foods of plant origin. This is done without compromising the safety of the food. It is the limiting factor that is used to maintain the shelf-life of prepared whole meal (Teich, 2003). If this problem is solved then the value of the regional recipes is maintained.
The other way is through responding to the demands of the end users who prefer foods with characteristics that are related to those of raw materials (Wichers, 2006). The increment of the added value of the EU food sector is got through responding to the consumers demand for the foods that are meant to their health and well-being. These foods helps to reduce diet related diseases and associated health. It is also got through enhancement of eco-friendly innovative processing which results to reduction of current wastage of fresh produce through extended shelf-life. It also results to reduction of energy inputs which is done through low temperature and low energy processing. Chemical and water usage is also reduced (Richard, 2004). This done through new hygiene approaches being applied. Problems of migration and packaging materials are also reduced.
References
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Saravacos D. G. 2002, Handbook for Food Processing Technology, Kluwer Plenum, York.
Deak T. 2004, Novel Processes and Technologies in Food Industry, IOS press, Cambridge.
Singh K.R. 2004, Food Process Design, CRC press, London.
Wichers H.J. 2006, Technologies of Food Processing, Springer, Carlisle.
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Wilson H.W. 2006, Food Technologies, Wilson Company, Bristol.
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