THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN FOOD PROCESSING

 

THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN FOOD PROCESSING

The impact of technology can be found in every sphere of society today, the rise of technology has caused the advancement of many sectors all over the world.

 Technology has touched every aspect of society and food science is not left out.

Technology has impacted food science just as much as it has impacted every science, but the aspect we will be focusing on today is food processing.

WHAT IS FOOD PROCESSING?

Food processing deals generally with every step that goes into turning raw agricultural products into food or converting one form of food into another form.

Food processing is where raw agricultural food products are transformed into types of food.

Some examples of food processing are:

·         Conversion of grains into flour

·         Cooking

·         Canning etc

An example that we can all relate with will be the conversion of raw cassava into “garri”.

Listed here are some methods of food processing you might be familiar with;

·         Cooking

·         Mixing

·         Peeling

·         Chopping

·         Fermenting

·         Packaging etc.

 

Let’s take a peek into how food was processed in the early days;

 

 

 HISTORY OF FOOD PROCESSING

The earliest form of cooking ever known to man was roasting, so in the early days, the only way man knew to cook his meals or preserve them was by roasting.

Then there were other forms of cooking such as steaming before man discovered the use of salt for food preservation.

The earliest forms of food preservation involved roasting, steaming or salt preservation with salt preservation common.

MODERN FOOD PROCESSING

With the industrial revolution came more forms of food preservation such as canning, bottling, freezing, addition of chemicals etc.

As technology advanced, so did knowledge.

 

There are many reasons for food processing, one of the most important being food preservation;

Food has been preserved over the years in many different ways and has evolved from drying to canning, packaging etc.

 

Two methods of food processing we will consider are canning and packaging:

Canning as a method of food preservation:

Canning was invented by a man called Nicholas-Francois Appert, he introduced the method of preserving food by putting them into sealed containers.

For a period of 14 years, he experimented with different ways of preserving food, he published his findings and won a franc award in 1810.

He used to award money to a cannery which was called the House of Appert. The cannery which started its operation in the year 1812 at Massy in France continued its operation till 1933.

  

Packaging as a method of food preservation:

Packaging involved the technology of ensuring a commodity can be easily transported or sold.

The economic significance of packaging was more prominent during the start of the industrial revolution.

Packaging has varied in forms over time, from the use of glass containers to the use of wooden pallets, crates, plastics etc.

Types of packaging is highly dependent on the type of product, size of product , the products natural shelf life etc.

Packaging is a very important aspect of food processing and preservation.

 

Other reasons for food processing are:

·         To get rid of inedible parts

·         Conversion to other forms of food

·         Health purposes etc.

 

ADVANTAGES OF FOOD PROCESSING

The benefits and advantages of food processing are numerous; food processing has added so much value to food science and agriculture as a whole.

Food processing technology can be said to be a major blessing that was bestowed during the industrial revolution.

Some advantages of food processing are:

1.       Can help food stay fresh for longer periods

2.       Facilitates the production of not just edible food but also healthy food

3.       Can help to increase food quality

4.       Can prolong the shelf life of food etc.

 

THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN FOOD PROCESSING

The industrial revolution of agriculture which spanned from the late 18^th century to the early 19^th century had a huge impact on the agricultural sector.

The industrial revolution saw the invention of machines, improvement in electricity, use of artificial fertilizers, interest in studying agricultural genetics etc.

There are different ways technology is used in food production and processing today, some of the ways are

·         The use of drones

The use of drones helps to save time and pass information faster. Drones are used to get a general view of farms or fields to ascertain which crops are bad and need to be attended to and also to test the soil.

 

·         Sensors

These can help to control the process of food production by transforming the physical world into digital data. It helps workers to get first hand information about products faster and accurately.

 

·         The use of robots

Robots can help make life easier. They can assist in carrying out tasks that might pose a threat to the human body with little or no risks. With robots, there has been a reduction in the rate of factory accidents.

Technology in food production and processing has come to stay.

Technology in the agricultural sector has shown us that more can be achieved; we can produce more, reach more persons, keep our food fresh for longer periods and produce more healthy meals.

Food science will forever be in awe of the changes that the industrial revolution brought.

The effects of the agricultural revolution will be seen for a very long time.

 

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