Food Production and Processing Flashcards
What is food processing?
It is the term used to describe the changes made to food in order to make them fit for consumption or available for retail.
Why does food processing take place?
> Preserve food and slow down spoilage > Maintain its consistency > Make it safe to eat > Make it available out of season > Make it easier to prepare and serve
What is food production?
A system that turns raw ingredients into consumable food and drink products.
What are the three parts of a production system?
INPUT- different ingredients, materials, machinery and items that go into the system
PROCESS- different things that can happen to the Input that changes it into the Output
OUTPUT- the finished food product
Give an example of a food production system
INPUT
-eggs, flour, sugar
PROCESS
-beating, baking
OUTPUT
-cake
What is primary processing?
When a food has to be processed before it can be eaten
eg. wheat into flower or slaughtering livestock
What is secondary processing?
When a food that has undergone primary processing is changed into an ingredient, which is then transformed into a food product
eg. flour into pasta or milk into cheese
Explain the steps of primary processing of wheat.
- wheat is GROWN in a field
- the HARVESTING process removes the wheat grains from the plant
- harvested wheat grains are STORED until they are needed
- harvested wheat is TRNSPORTED to a mill
- the wheat is CLEANED and CONDITIONED (soften outer bran layer)
- flour is MILLED using a range of rollers and sieves
- BRAN, WHEAT and ENDOSPERM are SEPERATED and BLENDED into different types of flour
What amounts of grain do the different types of flour contain?
WHOLEMEAL- all parts of the original grain
BROWN FLOUR- 85% of original grain, some bran and germ are removed
WHITE FLOUR- endosperm only
Explain the steps in secondary processing of wheat into bread.
- WEIGHING and MEASURING
- MIXING
- PROVING (rest period to allow bread to rise before baking)
- SHAPING
- BAKING
- SLICING
Show the steps in the primary processing of milk.
- Cows are milked at least twice a day.
- Milk is stored at 4°c and transported for processing at a dairy.
- Milk is heated to a very high temperature (72°c) , for a short period of time (15 seconds), to destroy pathogenic bacteria. This process is called pasteurisation.
- The pasteurised milk is seperated into the cream and liquid components.
- The cream and liquid components are re-blended. The amount of cream added depends on the type of milk: whole, semi-skimmed or skimmed.
- To ensure that the milk has an even consistency, homogenisation takes place, this involves the milk being pushed through a hole at high pressure so that the fat molecules are broken down and disperse evenly.
Show the steps in secondary processing of milk into cheese.
- Rennet, an enzyme is added to milk to thicken it and separate it into curds and whey.
- Curds (solid) are cut and whey (liquid) is released and drained form the curd.
- Salt is added once the curd is milled into crumbs, to add flavour and prolong shelf-life.
- The cheese is shaped by pressing the curd into moulds which also removes more whey, resulting in a firm-textured cheese.
- The cheese is stored in dry, temperature-controlled conditions for up to two years. This allows the cheese to ripen and develop flavour, which differs according to the duration of the ripening process.
What does fortification mean?
Fortification involves adding nutrients during processing and production (usually vitamins and minerals) that are not naturally present in a food in order to improve the nutritional quality of the food or to enhance a staple food of a population
Why is fortification used?
> To replace nutrients lost during processing eg. Vitamin B and Calcium are added back into white bread by law as the bran containing these essential vitamins was removed during the processing of wheat into flour.
> To produce a substitute product with similar nutritional value. This is particularly for those people with intolerances to an ingredient eg. the addition of calcium to soya milk as a substitution for those who are lactose intolerant.
> To prevent deficiency disorders eg. anemia and osteoporosis
> To improve the nutritional value of a food group eg. breakfast cereals are often fortified with Iron and Vitamin B12
How can fortified food contribute to our diet?
> Many manufactured baby products are fortified with Vitamin D and Iron.
> Fat spreads are important sources of Vitamins A and D because of mandatory fortification.
> As all flour is fortified by law, cereals and cereal products are a valuable source of nutrients for both children and adults.
> Fortified foods for vegans are often fortified voluntarily with Vitamin B12 because foods from plant sources do not contain this important vitamin. Fortified foods are the only source of Vitamin B12 for vegans
What are food additives?
Substances added during processing and production (natural or synthetic) to enhance the nutritional quality of a food, to increase its shelf-life and preserve a food for longer, or to enhance its flavour or colour.
What are natural additives?
Substances found naturally in food that are extracted from one food to be used in another.
eg. beetroot juice with its bright purple colour can be used to colour other foods such as sweets
What are nature identical additives?
man-made copies of substances that occur naturally
eg. Vitamin E is a substance that is found in nature but is also made synthetically and used as an antioxidant to prevent enzyme browning
eg. in fruit bags
What are artificial additives?
not naturally present in foods and are made synthetically (man-made) from chemicals
eg. tartrazine yellow, a food colouring used in juice drinks.
Why are additives used?
> to maintain nutrient composition of the food and to keep it safe to eat
> to make food look or taste better
> to extend shelf-life and storage of a food product
> to improve nutritional composition of a food product (eg. increase the vitamin content eg. adding ascorbic acid)
> to aid in the processing and manufacture (eg. emulsifiers, to help mix together ingredients)
Why are antioxidants used?
> decrease the chance of oils and fats in food from combining with oxygen and changing colour or turning rancid (rancid fats smell and taste unpleasant and are a health risk)
> used in fruits, vegetables and juice to extend the shelf-life. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is one of the most widely used antioxidants
Give examples of products where antioxidants are added.
Strawberries Dark chocolate Kale Raspberries Vegetable oils Cocoa products Margarine
Why are preservatives used?
> to make food last longer by increasing the shelf-life
> the prevent the spoilage of food by microorganisms such as bacteria, moulds and yeasts
What are examples of food products where preservatives are used?
Fruit bags (Vitamin E) Bread
Why are colourings used?
> added to food during processing to enhance the natural colour of a food product or to replace any colours lost during processing to make it look more attractive
What are examples of food products where colourings are used?
Vanilla ice cream
Skittles
Fizzy drinks
Why are flavourings and flavour enhancers used?
> to make the food taste more appealing, maintain flavour or improve the natural flavour of a processed food
> create new and exciting flavours of foods
> boost the flavour already present in a food, the do not have a flavour themselves
What are some examples of food products where flavourings and flavour enhancers are used?
Lemons Takeaway foods Ready meals Processed foods Soup
Why are sweeteners used?
> to make food taste sweeter
> artificial sweeteners, such as saccharin and aspartame, are much sweeter than sugar
> very small amounts of these are used to sweeten ‘diet’ foods such as cola and yoghurt
> they do not contain calories
What are some examples of food products where sweeteners are used?
Coke zero Diet coke Diet drinks Artificial sweeteners Coffee/tea
Why are emulsifiers and stabilisers used?
> emulsifiers are used to disperse oils and fats in foods and slow down staling
> stabilisers ensure food products remain stable by preventing separation of foods into layers when a product is being stored
> emulsifiers and stabilisers enable food manufacturers to make food products consistently the same texture and shape
What are some examples of food products where emulsifiers and stabilisers are used?
Custard
Ice-cream
Why are gelling agents and thickeners used?
> gelling agents gel foods - they give shape and structure
> thickeners or thickening agents make foods thicker
Give some examples of food products where gelling agents and thickeners are used.
Bisto gravy
Jelly (agents)
What are some health concerns about additives?
E NUMBERS:
> investigations carried out by scientists on laboratory animals have shown that some additives, when consumed in large doses are carcinogenic, cancer causing. Although, this has not been shown in humans, there are queries about weather it does or not.
> some additives cause hyperactivity and behavioural problems in children
> some additives have been associated with the increase in the occurrence of asthma in children
Describe the Food Supply Chain.
- Animal
- Handling and processing center
- Storage warehouse and cold house
- Transport and Distribution
- Market centers and retail center
- Consumers and food services
What is an E number?
A letter given to label and describe a food additive.
What is a food chain?
Stages food goes through from farm to fork.
