foodprocessing

Food processing is the set of operations used to transform raw agricultural products into consumable food products. It covers a wide range of activities from cleaning, trimming, and cutting to cooking, preserving, packaging, and storage. The goal is to improve safety, extend shelf life, enhance convenience, and influence texture, flavor, and nutrition. Processing can be conducted at domestic, artisanal, or industrial scales and may involve multiple steps in sequence or in parallel.

Common techniques include thermal methods such as pasteurization, sterilization, canning, and cooking; dehydration and drying; freezing; fermentation; milling and extrusion; emulsification and homogenization; and aseptic packaging. Non-thermal technologies such as high-pressure processing, irradiation, pulsed electric fields, and cold plasma are increasingly used to preserve quality while reducing heat exposure. Fortification and enrichment add vitamins, minerals, or other nutrients to foods.

Safety and quality are ensured through hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP), good manufacturing practices (GMP), traceability, and compliance with national and international standards (Codex Alimentarius, FDA, EFSA). Labeling may disclose ingredients, allergens, nutrition information, and expiration dates.

Processing can alter nutrition; some nutrients degrade with heat, while others become more available. Packaging affects shelf life and waste; sustainability considerations drive energy efficiency, waste minimization, and by-product valorization.

Historically, food processing emerged from cooking and drying and expanded with industrialization, canning, refrigeration, and aseptic packaging. In modern food systems, processing supports food security by stabilizing supply, enabling longer transport, and meeting consumer demands for safety and convenience.