Extraction Techniques for Food Processing

Extraction is a process that is growing in importance. It is generally more energy efficient than competitive processes such as expression-the pressing of biological feed materials to liberate fluids. The high cost of modern extraction techniques and the increasingly stringent environmental regulations together with the new requirements of the medical and food industries for ultra-pure and high value added products have pointed out the need for the development of new and clean technologies for the processing of food products. The food processing industry uses various techniques to transform food ingredients into different forms for consumers. Separation techniques may be used to remove skins from fruits, water from juices, or whey from cheese. Each separation technique is customized to the amount of waste that needs to be removed, and the resiliency of the food product being processed. This is the fundamental reason for writing this book at the present time, to indicate the wealth of knowledge becoming available on reactions in food processing, and the use of reaction technology to apply this knowledge in food processing.