The application of heat is both an important method of preserving foods and a way of developing texture, flavor, and color. It has long been recognized that thermal technologies must ensure the safety of food without compromising food quality, but new research is rarely compiled. Improving the Thermal Processing of Foods summarizes the results of key investigations on improving particular thermal processing techniques and measuring their effectiveness.

The book begins by examining how to optimize thermal processes. Part 1 addresses safety, quality, efficiency, productivity, and the application of computational fluid dynamics. Part 2 focuses on developments in technologies for sterilization and pasteurization with chapters on modelling retort, temperature control, developments in packaging, sous vide, and cook-chill processing. Several chapters cover continuous heat processing and discusses developments in tubular heat exchangers, aseptic processing, and ohmic and air impingement heating. The fourth part considers the validation of thermal processes, modelling heat penetration curves, using data loggers, and time-temperature integrators, and other new measuring techniques. The final group of chapters details methods of analyzing microbial inactivation in thermal processing as well as identifying and dealing with heat-resistant bacteria.

Improving the Thermal Processing of Foods is a standard, comprehensive reference book for those working in the food processing industry.

Table of Contents:
Part I: Optimizing Thermal Processes
Optimising the Safety and Quality of Thermally-Processed Packaged Foods, S D Holdsworth
Reconciling Safety and Quality
Kinetics of Microbial Inactivation during Heat Treatment
Setting Safe Limits for Sterilisation and Pasteurisation Processes
Setting Thermal Process Parameters to Maximise Product Quality: C-values Optimising Thermal Process Conditions for Product Safety and Quality
Optimising Efficiency and Productivity of Thermal Processing, J C Oliveira
Role of Thermal Processing in Extending Shelf-life
Setting Commercial Objectives for Thermal Processes: Process Optimisation
Assessing the Potential of In-container, Aseptic and HTST Processing
Techniques for Optimising the Efficiency of Thermal Processes
Optimising Efficiency of Batch Processing with Retort Systems in Thermal Processing, R Simpson
Batch Processing in Food Canning Plants Criteria for Optimal Design and Operation of Batch Processing
Optimising Energy Consumption
Optimising Retort Scheduling
Maximising Net Present Value of Capital Investment for Batch Processing
Simultaneous Processing of Different Product Lots in the Same Retort
Using Computational Fluid Dynamics to Optimise Thermal Processes, P Verboven, J. de Baerdemaeker, and B.M. Nicolaï
Computational Fluid Dynamics and the Importance of Fluid Flow in Thermal Processes Measurement and Simulation of Fluid flow in Thermal Processes
Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to Analyse Thermal Processes
Improving Thermal Food Processes by CFD: Packaged Foods, Heat Exchangers, and Ovens
Part II: Developments in Technologies for Sterilisation and Pasteurisation
Modelling and Optimising Retort Temperature Control, G Bown
Factors Affecting Thermal Process Control
Modelling Techniques for Predicting Lethal Heat
On-line Process Control of Retort Temperature
Achieving Lethality Using the Pre-heating and Cooling Phases of the Retort Cycle
Improving Rotary Thermal Processing, G Tucker
Use of Rotation for Batch Thermal Processing
Effectiveness of Rotation in Improving Heat Transfer
Optimising Mixing during Rotation to Improve Heating Rates
Testing Changes in Rotation Rate to Improve Heat Transfer
Optimising Rotation Speeds in Thermal Processing
Developments in Packaging Formats for Retort Processing, N May
Requirements for Low- and High-acid Foods Developments in Packaging Formats: the Metal Can
Developments in Packaging Formats: the Plastic Can, Pot, and Bottle
Retort Pouches: Construction, Sealing, Processing and Packaging
Methods of Improving Glass Packaging
Developments in Cook-chill and Sous Vide Processing, S Ghazala
Sous-vide, Cook-chill and Home-meal-Replacement Technologies
Pasteurization Process
Cook-chill Systems: Process Stages
The Sous vide System: Process Stages
Advantages and Disadvantages of Cook-chill and Sous vide Systems
Requirements for Cook-chill and Sous vide Processes
Microbial Safety and Barrier Technology for Cook-chill and Sous Vide Processing
Good Manufacturing Practices and HACCP Planning for Safe Cook-chill and Sous Vide Processing
Part III: Developments in Continuous Heat Processing
Developments in Aseptic Processing, K P Sandeep, J Simunovic, and K R Swartzel
Key Issues in Aseptic Processing
Components of an Aseptic Processing System Equipment Sterilisation and Process Validation Recent Developments in Aseptic Processing
Developments in Tubular Heat Exchangers, G. S. Tucker and U. Bolmstedt
Applications of Traditional Tubular Heat Exchangers
Improving Exchanger Design: Product Flow Behaviour
Selecting the Right Type of Tubular Heat Exchanger
Heat Transfer Efficiency in Tubular Heat Exchangers
Emerging Designs and Future Trends
Optimising Plate Heat Exchanger Design and Operation, L Wang and B Sunden
Plate Heat Exchangers (PHEs)
Types of PHEs
Application of PHEs in Food Processing: Pasteurisation and Evaporation
Improving the Design of PHEs: Modelling Pressure and Heat Transfer
Developments in Ohmic Heating, R Ruan, X Ye & P Chen, C Doona, & T Yang
Ohmic Heating Principles and Technology
Ohmic Heating Engineering: Design and Process Control
Invasive and Non-invasive Methods of Monitoring Ohmic Heating
Modelling Ohmic Heating
Air Impingement Heating, A Singh and R P Singh
Air Impingement Processing
Principles of Air Impingement Processing of Food Products
Heat Transfer Measurements and Characteristics in Impingement Systems Design and Use of Air Impingement Systems in the Food Industry
Modelling and Optimising Air Impingement Systems
Laser-based Packaging Sterilisation in Aseptic Processing, K Warriner, S Movahedi, & W Waites
Limitations in Current Sterilisation Methods for Aseptic Carton Packaging
Principles of Laser Operation
Assessing and Validating Spore Inactivation by UV light
Application of UV Laser Light in Package Sterilisation
Optimising UV-laser Sterilisation of Cartons: Optical and other Novel Systems
Part IV: Improving Validation of Thermal Processes
Modelling Heat Penetration Curves in Thermal Processes, F Eszes and R Rajko
Assessing Boundary Conditions for Heat Treatment
Determining Thermal Diffusivity
Determining Surface Heat Transfer Coefficients
Increasing the Accuracy of Heat Treatment Penetration Curves
Validation of Heat Processes: an Overview, G S Tucker
The Need for Better Measurement and Control
Validation Methods: Objectives and Principles; Validation Based on Temperature Measurement
Validation Based on Microbiological Methods
Validation Based on Biochemical Time-temperature Integrators
Use of Data Loggers to Validate Thermal Processes, G Shaw
Role of Data Loggers in Validating Thermal Processes
Types of Data Loggers
Using Data Loggers to Measure Thermal Processes
Using Data Loggers to Validate Thermal Processes
Use of Time-temperature Integrators to Validate Thermal Processes, A Van Loey, Y. Guiavarc'h, W. Claeys, and M. Hendrickx
Importance of Time Temperature Integrators (TTIs)
Principles of Time Temperature Integrators
Application of Time Temperature Integrators to Measure Thermal Processes
Strengths and Weaknesses of Time Temperature Integrators
New Techniques for Measuring and Validating Thermal Processes, K P Nott and L D Hall
Limitations of Current Temperature Measurement
Minimal and Non-invasive Measurement Techniques
Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Principles, Measurements and Processing
Part V: Analysing Microbial Inactivation in Thermal Processing
Analysing the Effectiveness of Microbial Inactivation in Thermal Processing, M Peleg
Microbial Heat Inactivation
Survival Curves, the Weibull Distribution Function and Heat Resistance
Analysing the Survival Ratio Dependence on Temperature
Simulating Heating and Cooling Curves
Applications of Survival Patterns in Food Processing
Evaluating Microbial Inactivation Models for Thermal Processing, A H Geeraerd, V.P. Valdramidis, K. Bernaerts, & J.F. Van Impe
Description of Primary Models of Inactivation
Dynamic Inactivation Models
Static Inactivation Models
Description of Secondary Models of Inactivation
Modelling the Interaction between Micro-organisms, Food, and Heat Treatment
Identifying and Dealing with Heat-resistant Bacteria, J. T. Rosnes
Problem of Heat-resistant Bacteria
Heat-resistant Bacteria and their Growth Potential
Types of Heat-resistant Microorganisms
Thermal Inactivation kinetics of Bacterial Spores
New Thermal Inactivation Processes: Microwaves, Radio Frequency and High Pressure Processing
Identifying Heat-resistant Bacteria
Part VI Appendix
Optimising the Thermal Processing of Liquids Containing solid Particulates, N. Heppel
Problems with Heating Liquids Containing Solid Particulates
Residence Time Distribution of Solid Particulates and Liquid Phase
Liquid-particulate Heat Transfer
Measurement of the Overall Thermal Treatment Received: Time Temperature Integrators (TTIs)
Optimising Heat Transfer
Conclusions, future trends, sources, advice, and references follow each part.