Publisher's Synopsis
The demand for processed foods and the awareness about food quality and safety are increasing rapidly. The consumers' demand for minimally processed foods and growing competition in the market have made the processors to adopt newer non-thermal technologies that preserve nutrients and sensory properties of the products. UV light is used in the food industry for disinfecting surfaces. Applications include decontamination of surfaces of equipment in bakeries, cheese and meat plants, as an adjunct to usual cleaning and sanitizing practices, and for decontamination of conveyor surfaces and packaging containers such as boxes, caps, bottles, cartons, tubes, films and foils. The use of ultraviolet light (UV) light is well established for water treatment, air disinfection and surface decontamination. With the growing negative public reaction over chemicals added to foods, UV light holds considerable promise in food processing. Preservation and Shelf Life Extension: UV Applications for Fluid Foods will provide a general review of the applications and efficacy of UV light treatment of foods, covering research that describes UV treatment as an alternative preservation method for liquid foods. Furthermore, the emphasis is given to the future research required to extend the range of UV light applications in the food processing industry. Recent advances in the science and engineering of UV light irradiation demonstrated that this technology holds considerable promise as an alternative to traditional thermal pasteurization for liquid foods and ingredients, fresh juices, soft drinks, and beverages. However, its use for treating foods is still limited due to low UV transmittance of liquid foods. The aim of this volume is to provide current trends and advances in UV light generation and propagation with emphasis on its applications for liquid food processing.
