Food processes

Food processes

1. Combining ingredients:

   • Solution: what you get when a solid dissolves in a liquid.
   • Suspension: solid held in a liquid but doesn't dissolve.
   • Emulsion: mixture of oily & watery liquids- salad dressing. Lecithin.
   • Gel: semi solid structure when small amount of solid ing sets a lot of liquid- jelly. Pectin.
   • You can change the taste, ings, combinations, proportions, nutritional value.

2. Standard food components:

   • A ready made ingredient or food part.
   • Pizza bases, frozen pastry, bread mixes, fillings, sauces, icing, marzipan.
   • Adv: saves time, saves money, frozen, in bulk, cost effective, less machinery, fewer skills, consistent, quality controlled, more hygienic.
   • Disadv: can't pick & choose, not always reliable, late deliveries, not as tasty, extra space needed, extra packaging bad for the environment.

3. Scale of production:

   • One off: making single products that are unique- prototype.
   • Batch: making a certain number of a product in one go.
   • Mass: making large numbers of product often on an assembly or conveyor belt.
   • Continuous flow: making large numbers of product non stop- 24/7.
   • CAD: computer aided design- produce models of packaging, 2D & 3D, easily recalculate values, quicker, more accurate, calculate portion size, shelf life, cost.
   • CAM: computer aided manufacture- weigh out, oven temps, cooking time, costs lower, more accurate, less human error, consistent, quicker, efficient, hygienic, fewer staff.

4. Quality control:

   • Mass produced products need to be consistent by using: same weight, ings, cooking time, temp, templates, cutting devices, moulds, methods.
   • Visual checks: colour, non damaged packaging, clear printing.
   • Testing: taste, size, thickness, pH.
   • Biological contam- ination: bacteria.
   • Chemical contamination: cleaning fluids.
   • Physical contamination: physical objects.

5. Food contamination & bacteria:

   • Bacteria multiply faster: moisture, warmth, neutral pH.
   • Grow faster in high- risk foods- higher in moist & protein. (shorter shelf life).
   • Cross contamination.
   • Cook: 72c middle. warmth: 70c less than 1 hour. reheat: 72c 3 mins.

6. Preservation:

   • Cook above 72c to kill bacteria- canning, bottling, pasteurisation.
   • Danger zone: 5- 63c.
   • Slow growth of bacteria: chill at 0- 5c.
   • Stop growth: freeze at -18c.

7. Domestic & industrial equipment:

   • Cutter, food processor, blender, probe, steamer, microwave,