Food processing and production

Question 1

How does UHT milk allow milk to last longer and affect the nutrition, taste and appearance?

Answer 1

• UHT milk is created by heating it to a very high temperature for a very short period of time before being packaged in a sterile container. This gives it a long shelf life of several months if unopened.
• this causes a change in the flavour and a slight colour change but very little nutritional value is changed

Question 2

How does Sterilised milk allow milk to last longer and affect the nutrition, taste and appearance?

Answer 2

• Sterilised milk is created by heating it to a high temperature for 30 minutes
• it can be stored at room temperature for months however once it is opened it must be refrigerated and stored for five days
• the milk will darken in colour and it will become sweeter in taste due to the effect on the sugars. The vitamins B1 and B12 will be lost decreasing the nutritional value

Question 3

How does Pasteurised milk allow milk to last longer and affect the nutrition, taste and appearance?

Answer 3

• Pasteurised milk is created by heating the milk for a extremely short time and then rapidly cooling it.
• can be kept up to 5 days in the refrigerator
• there is very little effect on nutrition, taste or appearance.

Question 4

why are food additives used in processing?

Answer 4

• they can improve sensory aspects like the flavour or colour to make it more appealing to customers
• preservatives are a type of additive which can be used to extend the shelf life of the product
• emulsifiers are a type of additive which can be used to improve the texture by holding water and oil together.

Question 5

what are the concerns of using food additives?

Answer 5

• some colouring have been linked to hyperactivity and poor behaviour in children like the colouring sunset yellow
• some additives may cause allergic reactions and therefore people cannot use these food products
• they can be used to disguise poor quality ingredients or true tastes