Benefits & Drawbacks & Trends for Food Processing

Food processing is a transforming course from raw ingredients into foods, or from one form of food into another. It involves many different steps such as raw materials (harvested crops or butchered animal products) treatment, ingredients mixing, transmission, forming and packing, etc., during which are applied a wide variety of sanitary machines and equipment, for example, tanks, sanitary valves, fittings and pumps  during ingredients mixing and transmission, grinders in the raw materials treatment step and different molds doe forming, etc..

Benefits

Food processing can yield many benefits including:

• Elimination of toxin, bacteria and other unhealthy compositions. Some process can even give foods better mouthfeel and easier absorption.
• Longer shelf-life and facilitation for transportation, storage and preservation, which can enable people enjoy non-seasonal foods.
• More attractive appearance of foods
• A wider variety of food forms that are targeted for different demands. For example, nowadays in the market foods for weight loss, organic foods, certain-ingredient-reinforced foods are all available.

Drawbacks

Every processing of food can have some effect on the food's original nutrition structure, slight or huge.  Vitamin C, for example, is destroyed during heating and therefore canned fruits have a lower content of vitamin C than fresh ones. According to a nutrient retention table for several foods created by the USDA in 2004, in the majority of foods, processing reduces nutrients by a minimal amount. On average any given nutrient may be reduced by 5%-20%.

Another drawback of food processing is the possibility of food additives. The same addictive may cause varied health effects on different persons. In the USA, only food additives that have been approved as safe for human consumption by authorized organism are allowed, at specified levels, for use in food products.

Last, because of the complex process of food processing (mixing, grinding, chopping and emulsification, etc.), processed foods will be exposed to a number of contamination risks.

Trends for Modern Food Processing

Let's make a detailed analysis of food processing trends with examples.

Health

• Reduction of fat content in final product by using baking instead of deep-frying in the production of potato chips, another processed food.
• Keeping the natural taste and flavor of the products by using less artificial sweetener than before.

Hygiene

As elaborated above, hygiene is the major concern of consumers towards processes foods. By using equipment provided by Adamant Valves, which are manufactured strictly according to internationally sound standards such as DIN, 3A, SMS, ISO/IDF, BS/RJT and ASME/BPE, you will easily keep away from the majority of contamination risks.

Efficiency

High efficiency never failed to be the constant pursuit of all industries, include that of food.

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