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
