Thermal and Non-Thermal Processing of Foods (16:400:609)

(Revised Month day, Year)

This course would cover selected topics in thermal and non-thermal processing of food. It is intended for graduate students at advanced level (2nd or 3rd year). The course would cover traditional processes such as retorting, extrusion, as well as new and emerging technologies of food processing such as high hydrostatic pressure processing and pulse electric field processing. The emphasis in this course will be on the mathematical models that describe these processes and the impact of processing on food quality and safety. Some discussion of processing equipment will also be included. The course would offer an opportunity to graduate students in food science, chemical, and mechanical engineering to learn about traditional thermal processes as well as new non-thermal processes in a rigorous manner.

Rationale

Most of the foods that are consumed by people are processed in one way or the other. Foods are processed to make them safe (microbiologically), to develop flavor, color, texture, to make them easy for digestion, and to make them convenient for eating and handling. Foods can be preserved by addition or removal of heat. Traditionally, foods have been processed thermally in a variety of ways such as steam retorting, pasteurization, baking, and frying. However, traditional thermal processing methods, which are aimed mainly at eliminating the harmful bacteria by heat, have some disadvantages that include loss of color, flavor, freshness, and some nutritional aspects. New ways of processing food in non-thermal ways offer a way to eliminate some of these disadvantages and ensure food safety.

The material in this course would be based on fundamental engineering principles such as heat and mass transfer, fluid mechanics, and reaction kinetics, which are covered in other courses offered through our department as well as in chemical and mechanical engineering. We will focus on application of these fundamental principles to specific thermal and non-thermal processes for food materials, is not covered in any other course in our department or other departments in our university. At the end of this course, it is expected that the students will develop a good perspective for when thermal processing is suitable and when non-thermal processing is suitable for a given food product. They will also learn how to apply these methods in a quantitative manner.

Topics covered will include both thermal and non-thermal processing of food. Emphasis will be on mathematical description of the processes. Although several processes will be broadly covered, a few processes will be selected for in-depth analysis and discussion.

Textbook:

None

Suggested reference books:

Grading

(subject to change)

Students are expected to learn a significant amount of factual information on their own by reading. Unfortunately, no "one source" covers all or contains all of the factual information required by this course. The following resources may be beneficial:

1. Food Microbiology: Fundamentals and Frontiers, Fourth edition, edited by Doyle and Buchanan. ISBN-13: 978-1555816261.
2. Food Microbiology: An Introduction, 2017, [Forth edition], edited by Matthews, Kniel and Montville. ISBN 9781555819385, ebook: 9781555819392
3. Reference material is copied and distributed to the class where allowed by copyright law

Course Lectures:

Course materials will be posted on sakai or canvas at the lecturers discretion.

Academic Integrity

All students are expected to abide by the academic standards of Rutgers University. All graduate students have a responsibility to understand and to uphold the standards of the academic community. It is the responsibility of every student to understand these standards thoroughly and to act in accordance with them. Students are referred to the publication “Academic Integrity: Issues for Graduate Students.” which is available from the Graduate School Office in New Brunswick. It is also available online.