Sustainable Food Processing and Engineering Challenges

Food industry and engineering—Quo vadis?

Consumers are interested in sustainable and safe food with positive sensory attributes, either minimally processed or incorporating sustainable processes. However, the introduction of new food technologies may generate concern among consumers. This study aims to identify ways to decrease consumers' risk perception of new technologies: High pressure, Non-thermal Plasma, Pulsed Electric Field, and Ultrasound. This cross-cultural study was conducted in three contrasting countries: Portugal, Germany, and the United Kingdom, recruiting over 400 consumers per country. The survey presented twelve constructs based on the Ecological Framework, which was used to predict perceived risk. Factors affecting such perception varied both for technologies and countries, as shown by a multiple regression model. Food technology neophobia, perceived relative severity, and trust were common factors across all countries. This study demonstrates that developing and producing new products using non-thermal technologies should consider the country's consumers' risk perception factors.

Proceeding THE 4th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FOOD SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (ICFSE) 2022 11-12 October 2022, Surakarta, Indonesia ICFSE is a biannual conference held by the Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sebelas Maret since 2016. This event is in collaboration with partner universities and/or organizations around the world. This conference covers the field of Food Science and Engineering. It aims to drive collaboration between scholars, practitioners, private sectors, and policy makers within the field. The conference is mainly supported by the Department of Food Science and Technology, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia.This proceeding contains the papers presented in the 4th ICFSE organized in 2022. The papers involve sessions on physical modification of foods, food chemistry and analysis, instrumental techniques for food analysis, food microstructure development and characterization, food properties including thermal, chemical, and mechanical properties, rapid detection of food contamination, macronutrient, micronutrient, and functional properties, chemistry of food additives and preservatives, food processing and engineering, food packaging, sustainable food production, food waste utilization, mathematical modeling and software development for food processing purposes, application of artificial intelligence in food engineering, food supply chain management system and food nutrigenomics for health.We would like to thank all the participants attending this conference and also the committees for their contributions to this conference and its overall success. We would also like to thank the reviewers for their positive contribution to maintaining the quality of the articles presented in this proceeding.List of General Chair, Vice Chair, Organizer, Advisory Boards, Scientific Committees, Organizing Committees are available in this pdf.

The 4th International Symposium on Food Science, Nutrition and Health (ISFSNH) was held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Dalian, China, on May 29-31, 2023. The symposium explored the connotations and needs of "The Great Food Perspective" under the theme "Focusing on new discoveries in food technology and creating a new future of nutrition and health" to better address the global emerging diverse food needs. The ISFSNH covered four areas: (1) food processing theory and technology, (2) food safety and quality control, (3) precision nutrition and health, and (4) creation of nutritious and healthy foods. More than 1000 scholars and entrepreneurs from more than 100 colleges and universities globally attended the conference. This special issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry highlights the important topics of the 4th ISFSNH and includes more than 20 papers.

Over the last years, consumer demand for natural and healthy convenient food has increased, and with it the demand for organic convenience food. With convenience food, the processing level increases, which consumers are sceptical of. This holds especially for organic consumers who prefer natural, healthy, and sustainable food products. In the literature, consumer preferences are investigated for processed conventional food, but rarely for organic products. Therefore, this study investigates consumers’ knowledge, expectations, and attitudes towards selected processing technologies for organic food. Nine focus groups with 84 organic consumers were conducted, discussing preservation technologies of organic milk and orange juice. Results showed that participants had little knowledge about processing technologies but were interested in their benefits. Organic processing technologies should include fewer processing steps, low environmental impact, while keeping the product as natural as possible. Since consumers want to know benefits but not details of processing, asking consumers for their specific preferences when developing new processing technologies remains challenging. This paper shows how consumers’ benefit and risk perception including their want for naturalness, and scepticism for new technologies shape their evaluation of (organic) food processing technologies. Two consumer groups with different attitudes towards processing could be identified: ’organic traditionalists’ and ‘organic pragmatics’.

Industrial food processing plays a crucial role in the global food supply but faces significant sustainability challenges, including high energy consumption, excessive waste, and greenhouse gas emissions. This study used a literature review, analyzing 32 articles between 2010 - 2024. This study explores sustainable food processing practices that can enhance efficiency while mitigating environmental impacts. It highlights the urgent need for innovative solutions, such as renewable energy integration, energy recovery systems, and non-thermal preservation methods, which can reduce resource consumption and improve food safety. It also addresses the importance of waste reduction strategies and eco-friendly packaging to minimize plastic pollution. The role of advanced technologies, including IoT and AI, is emphasized for optimizing operations and reducing energy use. Moreover, regulatory frameworks and policies, such as the Paris Agreement, are vital in promoting sustainable practices within the food industry. However, barriers to adopting new technologies, such as high initial costs and consumer resistance, must be addressed through government incentives and educational initiatives. The food processing sector can achieve a more sustainable future by fostering stakeholder collaboration and increasing consumer awareness. This review aims to contribute valuable insights and recommendations for future research, emphasizing the collective responsibility of industry and academia in achieving sustainability in food systems.

Extrusion is a widely used, versatile technology in food and feed processing, with specialized equipment capable of handling a variety of ingredients and conditions to create diverse products that meet both logistical and functional demands. Continuous innovations in the design of the extruder and its allied components have driven this versatility, enabling the industry to meet evolving consumer demands concerning nutrition, texture, and functionality. While there has been extensive research on the physicochemical and molecular characteristics of extruded products and their responses to processing variables and ingredient types, there is a noticeable gap in consolidated knowledge about the technological advancements of the extrusion system itself. Specifically, the scientific literature lacks comprehensive reviews that focus on the design evolution, component integration, and enhanced functional capabilities of extruders. This review aims to fill the gap by systematically summarizing key innovations in extruders and their auxiliary systems (feeders, preconditioners, screw configurations, and die designs) that have enhanced raw material adaptability and product quality. By doing so, this paper uniquely highlights how hardware advancements in extrusion equipment have directly contributed to meeting the nutritional, structural, and sensory expectations of modern food systems.

Ultrasound is a promising technology that emerges as a sustainable and low‐cost alternative to conventional food processing. Various advantages are related to this technology, including the improvement of food quality, maintenance of food preservation, reduced processing time, and monitoring of food processes. Despite the extensive knowledge about ultrasonic technologies, it is continually updated, and new applications are constantly discovered. Reported results show that ultrasound can be applied, alone or in assisted conditions, to several food matrices, such as meats, fresh products, juices, cereals, and fermented products. However, its use still presents some challenges that include the difficulty of large‐scale applications. Recent studies evidenced current prospects for ultrasound technology, especially by improving novel food processes, such as depolymerization, extraction, emulsion production, and even assisting the removal of pesticides in fresh foods. This review summarizes the main applications and strategies of ultrasound technology in food processing. In addition, the challenges and future perspectives of this technology are also updated.Practical applicationsUltrasound is a widespread technology in food processing, and a great number of applications have been attributed to ultrasound in last decades. This low‐cost alternative offers several advantages, such as reduction in time processing (e.g., elimination of process steps), enhanced efficiency, better attributes to different food products, also, its nondestructive nature allows the retention of product characteristics (textural, nutritional, and sensorial aspects). All these properties made ultrasound an interesting tool for improving food shelf life. Recently, new ultrasound utilities had been discovered, especially in association other processing techniques. An update on ultrasound applications is currently required, providing further essential scope for industrial implementation of ultrasound (i.e., processing operations, food matrix, benefits, limitations).

Sustainable Food Processing Inspired by Nature

Impact of cold plasma on pearl and barnyard millets' microbial quality, antioxidant status, and nutritional composition

In this review, the application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations in analyzing thermal processes within food technology is explored. The focus is on understanding heat transfer, fluid flow, and temperature distribution during various food processing methods, such as baking, frying, pasteurization, and cooling. Detailed insights that are often challenging to obtain through experimental methods alone are provided by CFD simulations, allowing for the optimization of process parameters to enhance product quality and safety. It is demonstrated that CFD can effectively model complex thermal phenomena, providing valuable data on temperature gradients and flow patterns. These simulations assist in the designing of more efficient processing equipment, improving energy consumption, and ensuring uniform heat treatment, which is crucial for maintaining the nutritional and sensory attributes of food products. Furthermore, the integration of CFD in the food industry leads to significant advancements in product development, reducing the time and cost associated with experimental trials. Future research should focus on refining these models for greater accuracy and exploring their application in emerging food processing technologies.

The impact of food processing on drug absorption, metabolism, and subsequent pharmacological activity is a pressing yet insufficiently explored area of research. Overlooking food-processing-drug interactions can significantly disrupt optimal clinical patient management. The challenges extend beyond merely considering the type and timing of food ingestion as to drug uptake; the specific food processing methods applied play a pivotal role. This study delves into both selected thermal and non-thermal food processing techniques, investigating their potential interference with the established pharmacokinetics of medications. Within the realm of thermal processing, conventional methods like deep fat frying, grilling, or barbecuing not only reduce the enteric absorption of drugs but also may give rise to side-products such as acrylamide, aldehydes, oxysterols, and oxyphytosterols. When produced in elevated quantities, these compounds exhibit enterotoxic and pro-inflammatory effects, potentially impacting the metabolism of various medications. Of note, a variety of thermal processing is frequently adopted during the preparation of diverse traditional herbal medicines. Conversely, circumventing high heat through innovative approaches (e.g., high-pressure processing, pulsed electric fields, plasma technology), opens new avenues to improve food quality, efficiency, bioavailability, and sustainability. However, it is crucial to exercise caution to prevent the excessive uptake of active compounds in specific patient categories. The potential interactions between food processing methods and their consequences, whether beneficial or adverse, on drug interactions can pose health hazards in certain cases. Recognizing this knowledge gap underscores the urgency for intensified and targeted scientific inquiry into the multitude of conceivable interactions among food composition, processing methods, and pharmaceutical agents. A thorough investigation into the underlying mechanisms is imperative. The complexity of this field requires substantial scrutiny and collaborative efforts across diverse domains, including medicine, pharmacology, nutrition, food science, food technology, and food engineering.

16 - Cold plasma for sustainable food production and processing

This study evaluates the feasibility of integrating pulsed electric field (PEF) technology with heat recovery for fruit juice pasteurization, comparing it to conventional high-temperature short-time (HTST) pasteurization. Three preheating temperature conditions (35 °C, 45 °C, and 55 °C) and varying heat recovery efficiencies have been assessed to analyze energy consumption, economic feasibility, and environmental impact. The results indicate that, while PEF pasteurization requires a higher initial investment, it improves energy efficiency, leading to significant reductions in utility costs. Across the tested configurations, PEF technology achieved reductions in electricity consumption by up to 20%, fuel gas usage by over 60%, greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 30%, and water consumption by 25%, compared to HTST. The optimal configuration of the PEF process, featuring a 35% waste heat recovery efficiency and a pre-heating temperature of 55 °C, has been identified as the most energy-efficient and sustainable solution, effectively reducing both water consumption and CO2 emissions. A life cycle assessment has confirmed these environmental benefits, demonstrating reductions in global warming potential, fossil fuel consumption, and other impact categories. This study suggests that PEF technology can significantly contribute to more sustainable food processing by reducing environmental impacts, optimizing resource usage, and enhancing energy efficiency.

Towards More Sustainable Food Processing: A Structured Tool for the Integration and Analysis of Sustainability Aspects of Processing Equipment