eChapters

Introduction

Vegetables are the vital sources of minerals, vitamins and dietary fibres and play an important role in supplying nutrition to human health. Vegetables require comparatively lesser quantities of agro-inputs to grow. Vegetables are rich source of vitamins, minerals and plant fibres which provide food and nutritional security. These also generate high income and employment, particularly for small farmers. Vegetables being a rich and cheap source of vitamins and minerals, occupy an important place in the food basket of Indian consumers, a majority of whom are vegetarian. This persistent vegetarianism coupled with rising per capita income is fuelling a rapid growth in consumption of vegetables. Presently, India is producing more then 70 types of vegetables which are capable of meet out the economic and nutritional requirement of the country (Table 1). There has been a revolution in the production of vegetables in the country in the last four decades.

Introduction

Horticulture is the science of cultivation, management, postharvest handling, value addition and marketing of fruits, vegetables, ornamental, aromatic and medicinal plants, spices and plantation crops. Looking to its important role in nutritional security, poverty alleviation and employment generation, it has rightly been emerged in form of horticulture industry and as one of the most significant sectors in the world. The production of fruits, vegetables and flowers has acquired much importance in recent times due to their increasing demand. Changing lifestyles of people across the globe, attempts to overcome the stressful lifestyle, inclination towards healthy and balanced eating habits have made people include fruits and vegetables in their daily diet. In the case of flowers, the demand for fresh flowers has steadily increased not only for decoration but also for many other purposes like essential oils, cosmetics, aroma therapy, dry flowers, pot-pourries, natural dyes, medicines, etc. Rising incomes and growing consumer interest in a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables year-round is stimulating international trade in horticulture.

Tremendous genetic diversity occur within different crops of this family with respect to their adaptability. Some cucurbits are grown in tropical, subtropical or arid deserts whereas other prefer to grow in temperate conditions. Harvested fruits and vegetables can be potentially exposed to numerous abiotic stresses during production, handling, storage and distribution (Hodges, 2003). However, when the abiotic stress is moderate or severe, quality losses almost always are incurred at market (Toivonen, 2003). Annually about 42% of the crop productivity is lost owing to various abiotic stress factors (Oerke et al., 1994). One of the key factors for abiotic stress in crop plants is the ill effect of global warming which may cause reduced precipitation, less snow pack, and earlier snow melt, leading to drought conditions. In addition about 20% of the world’s irrigated lands are affected by salinity (Zhu, 2001), a situation worsened by climate changes.

2.1 Insect Pests

Insects are often a major obstacle to the successful production of cucurbits (York, 1992). They can severely reduce yield, injure or kill plants, spread diseases and adversely affect fruit quality. A number of insect pests, mites and nematodes have been found to infest cucurbitaceous vegetables but fortunately, in India, fruit flies and a few species of beetles are of economic importance; aphids and blister beetles though of regular occurrence, seldom cause severe damage.
 
Other insect pests reported to infest the cucurbitaceous vegetables are pumpkin caterpillar, Diaphania indica (Sounders), snake gourd semilooper, Plusia peponis Fab., white fly, Bemisia tabaci Genn., stink bugs, Apspongopus spp. and flea beetle, Phyllotreta spp. etc. These biotic pressures on the crops are increasing day by day due to round-the-year intensive cultivation of photo and thermo insensitive cultivars as well as indiscriminate use of toxic agro-chemicals in the present era of chemicalized agriculture.

1.1 Introduction

‘Cucurbits’ is a term coined by Liberty Hyde Bailey for cultivated species of the family Cucurbitacae. During this current century the term has been used not only for cultivated forms, but also for any species of the family Cucurbitacae. Cucurbits are frost sensitive, predominantly tendril-bearing vines which are found in subtropical regions around the globe. A few numbers of species those are native to or cultivated in temperate climate are prolific seed producing annuals or perennials that live for one season until killed by frost (Robinson and Decker-Walters 2004). Other vernaculars applied to the family Cucurbitacae and several of its members are ‘gourd’, ‘melon’, ‘cucumber’, ‘squash’ and ‘pumpkin’.

Abstract

Mahua (Madhuca spp.) is an important tree in India, with high socio-economic, environmental and spiritual values. We carried out this study among the local communities of Azamgarh district (eastern Uttar Pradesh) and with the Gond and Baiga tribes from Raisen and Dindori districts, Madhya Pradesh. Among the five mahua species found in Indian subcontinent, Madhuca latifolia is widely distributed in the north and central plains, the focal area of our study. Mahua has been vital to the survival of these communities, particularly the Gond and Baiga tribes, from the time immemorial. It has been a major source of food energy in the form of sugar, seed oil and alcohol. As well, different parts of the tree are used as ethnomedicine. The tribal people’s high regard for mahua is reflected by its sustainable and regulated use. In this study, we present an in-depth analysis of conservation, management and sustainable use of mahua, and also suggest its role in socio-economic adaptation, with particular reference to climate change.

Abstract

Ladakh, comprising of Leh and Kargil district is truly described as a high altitude cold-arid desert region of J&K state, India, where local people grow barley (Hordeum vulgare) and prepare various food products out of it. The roasted barley flour, locally known as tsampa is one of them, which goes as ingredients in a variety of local dishes and beverages. It is eaten either in raw or in cooked form and the traditional method of tsampa preparation is through the Ran-tak (traditional water mill), for which efforts have been made to describe it in detail. Like other parts of the world, this remote area in the trans-Himalaya has also witnessed exchange with the outside industrial world which has brought with it many changes (both desirable and undesirable) and the traditional foods were also not left behind. One major cause for decline in the traditional tsampa preparation has been the availability of cheap subsidized produce from the lowland India, on the other hand the increase in information exchange with the outside world has also helped local people to realize the need and importance to conserve their own locally grown crops and integrate into the mainstream fooding system. However, tsampa prepared using the traditional method is still being preferred by the local inhabitants

Abstract

The Saanich (Coast Salish) are an Indigenous people of southern Vancouver Island on the southwest coast of Canada who for many centuries have relied heavily on anadromous Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) as a major food source. Over time, Saanich fishers have become experts on many aspects of these salmon, including knowledge of the different species, their life cycles, feeding ecology, migration routes, and population dynamics. Much of this knowledge is centered at Saanich Inlet and Goldstream River, a major salmon spawning stream flowing into this inlet. Some Saanich and other Coast Salish people still fish for salmon at Goldstream using traditional gaff hooks and spears, but they have also adopted more modern gear in recent times. Pacific coho (O. kisutch) and chum (O. keta) salmon stocks in particular have fluctuated over the decades, evidently due to impacts of commercial fishing, pollution from oil leakage and domestic sewage in Saanich Inlet.

Abstract

Oolichan (Thaleichthys pacificus), a small anadromous smelt also known as “savior fish”, were a necessity of life for Pacific Northwest Coastal and adjacent interior indigenous peoples, as they were the first fish to return to the rivers after winter and produced not only tasty flesh but also a nutritious oil, or “grease.” A focus of the traditional oolichan culture is the Nass River of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. The valleys and mountains surrounding the Nass River are the traditional homelands of the Nisga’a people, whose technological innovations including implements, buildings, and landscape structures facilitated fishing, production, and preservation of oolichan, as well as salmon. Over thousands of years, the Nisga’a developed plant-based technologies for use in the oolichan fishery and for preparation trade of rendered oolichan “grease”. In turn, structures and implements associated with the oolichan fishery facilitated knowledge exchange across generations, since the oolichan processing areas and fishing camps were the places where elders conveyed their cultural and ecological knowledge to younger people. Structures fashioned from plants helped people to recall the stories, traditions,

Abstract

It’s relatively frequent to hear about the customary consumption and commercialization of wild and cultivated mushrooms in European, North American and Asian tempered zones. In contrast, such a phenomenon has been widely unrecognized in Mesoamerican lowlands. The scarce interest for leading ethnomicological studies in these zones may be caused by a preconception according to which peoples inhabiting them do not use macroscopic fungi. Yet, archaeological evidence shows a relation between fungi and Mayan peoples existed during pre-Hispanic times.

Abstract

Leafy vegetables have largely been portrayed as fulfilling an important nutritional supplement in local people’s diets, as a safety net function to rural households during periods when agricultural production is low and as a food supplement for the poverty stricken. In this paper we present evidence to show that the consumption of wild leafy vegetables (pot-herbs) represents more then just an important source of nutrition and/or a safety net function for poor households, but that they also fulfil an important cultural function for both poor and wealthy Xhosa speaking people in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. We show that the consumption of food needs to be studied as a bio-cultural phenomenon which includes both nutritional and anthropological understanding.

Abstract

Cultural knowledge on food and beverages is as old as human civilization. However, the traditional knowledge related to food habits and ecosystem conservation has been found to be unique in each cultural and ethnic group across the world. From time immemorial, the Nyishi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh has developed an unique set of traditional knowledge that allows the better utilization of food bioresources of their natural surrounding to sustain their livelihood. Historically, such knowledge was transmited through customary laws, folklore, and oral literature. Literature studies have revealed the lack of scientific investigation on ethnobiology of traditional food bioresources used by the Nyishi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. Hence, in the present investigation, an attempt has been made to unveil the hidden age-old cultural food and beverage knowledge practised among the Nyishi of Papum Pare and Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh. A total of 63 plant and 41 animal species have been reported during field survey in 4 circles covering a total of 12 different localities which includes rural, semi-urbans and urban type ecosystem in the 2 selected districts.

Abstract

This study was aimed to document the Dawro people’s ethnobotanical knowledge, identify Non-Cultivated Food Plants (NCFPs) and associated challenges to their consumption. Semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, market survey and field observations were conducted to gather the ethnobotanical data. The study documented a total of 47 non-cultivated food plant species belonging to 44 genera and 34 families. Shrubs (36.7%) and herbs (32. 7%) make up the highest proportion of these plants. The two most frequently used parts were fruits (62%) and leaves (18.4%).Over 70% of the species analyzed have additional uses, primarily for medicine, construction, and firewood. Most (68%) of the recorded species are consumed fresh without further processing and they are mainly fruits. The study found that non-cultivated food plants play a vital role to the Dawro people during food shortages.

Abstract

Traditional communities the world over have been using a variety of indigenous biological resources in farming and life support systems. They are direct stakeholders in the in situ conservation and sustainable management of diverse plant species on their farms and in their home gardens. Location specific needs and ecosystem diversity plays a decisive role in maintaining biocultural resources. The present paper, based on six different case studies, describes the practices of traditional and innovative farmers in conservation of indigenous biodiversity. How farmers explore, domesticate and manage wild plant resources to sustain their livelihoods is the main theme of this study. It represents an explorative and qualitative study, carried out with diverse communities living in central India, Indo-Gangetic plains and mountainous ecosystems of Arunachal Pradesh. The study is based on 7 years of collaborative and participatory research with local and native communities. Data was generated using a combination of conventional (personal interviews with open-ended questions and informal interaction) and participatory methods.

Abstract

With categories including food, building materials, medicinal plants and resins, non-wood forest products are the economically important face of biodiversity. Using non-wood forest products to generate income and alleviate poverty requires different approaches to their special characteristics. Among the features that distinguish non-wood forest products from other goods are the unpredictability of the quantities available, the lack of control of collectors over their growth conditions, and the difficulty of ensuring that the products can be placed on the market efficiently. In developed countries such as Finland, with under-harvesting of non-wood forest products, getting an economic benefit from these involves the seasonal migration of collectors. The latter is illustrated by the case of Thai in a working visit to Finland, to pick the often underutilized wild berry harvest in Lapland. The majority of the workers are from farming backgrounds, but there is a weak positive correlation between their non-wood forest product activity in Thailand and berry picking in Finland.

Abstract

For 99% of our time on Earth, humans have been hunter-gatherers, intricately connected to and reliant upon our local lands and waters for food, materials, medicines and shelter. In this time we have evolved a unique and in-depth knowledge base, termed local ecological knowledge or ecoliteracy, which has been essential to sustaining human and ecosystem health over thousands of years. However with livelihood diversification towards non-resource dependent strategies, the emergence of local markets as a consequence of globalisation, and global patterns of economic development, our collective local knowledge is now being lost. With the loss of local livelihoods and knowledge comes a departure from traditional food systems as hunters, fishers, and gatherers and cultivators lose the skills needed to locate, collect, preserve, prepare, consume and manage indigenous foods. Traditional food systems have provided nutritional health and food security for indigenous and marginalised communities for generations, and play a critical role in cultural continuity, social systems and ecosystem biodiversity.

Abstract

Scholars have long been interested in the effects of markets on the diet of native populations because of diet’s direct impacts on health. Exposure and assimilation into a market economy result in shifts in modes of subsistence and decision-making about food consumption. But the clear direction of influence is often elusive. Increased market integration predicts expanded access to goods and services that may improve household and individual diet. At the same time, greater involvement in market trade can shift economic priorities away from secure subsistence production toward the lure of material gain and novel items. Here, we analyze the effects of integration into the market economy on household diet using data from a panel study of two villages of Tsimane’, an indigenous group of lowland Bolivia. Because the Tsimane’ have been undergoing varying degrees of integration into the market economy, they provide an ideal population among which to examine the relation between markets and dietary change.

Abstract

Indigenous Peoples of northwestern North America have utilized several hundred local plant species, as well as some algae, lichens and fungi, in their traditional diets. Many of these are also used in traditional healing, and some have potentially harmful or poisonous properties that must be taken into account in harvesting and preparation. Other species, known primarily for their medicinal use, also have noted toxicity if used improperly or without constraints. In this study, a total of 375 traditional food and medicine plants, fungi, lichen and algal species, as well as those species reported to be toxic by indigenous knowledge holders, were surveyed across 12 First Nations groups, each with distinct languages, for overlaps across the categories of food, medicine and toxic species. A complex of species use and avoidance emerged, modulated by processing, dosage, and other factors, with significant numbers of food species with reported healing properties, food species also used as medicine, and both food and medicinal species known to be harmful or toxic under some circumstances. Even most of those species considered extremely poisonous have been taken internally as medicines in some way by some groups.

Z -distribution : It is a probability density function and a normal distribution that has a mean equal to zero and a standard deviation equal to one and that is used in testing hypotheses about means or proportions of samples drawn from populations whose population standard deviations are known.

Zeatin : Zeatin is a cytokinin C₁₀H₁₃N₅O first isolated from the endosperm of Indian corn.

Yabby : It is one of the burrowing Australian crayfishes (Cherax destructor) that are used for food.

Yakitori : A bite-size marinated pieces of beef, seafood, or chicken on skewers is called yakitori.

Yam : It is edible starchy tuberous root of plants (genus Dioscorea of the family Dioscoreaceae) used as a staple food in tropical areas.

Xanthan / Xanthan gum : It is a polysaccharide that is produced by fermentation of carbohydrates by a gram-negative bacterium (Xanthomonas campestris) and is a thickening and suspending agent used in pharmaceuticals and prepared foods. It is also called xanthan. Xanthan is a stabilizer produced by Xanthomonas compestris. Xanthan is not hydrolysed or degraded by humans.

Wafer : A thin crisp cake, candy, cracker or chips is known as wafer.
 
Waffle : A crisp cake of batter baked in a waffle iron is called waffle

Warner-Bartzler Shear : It is one of the oldest but commonly used devices used to measure the tenderness of meat. It is used to test the quality in the cooked meat.

Vacreation : The pasteurization of the milk or cream under reduced pressure by direct steam is called vacreation.

Vacuum : The state of negative pressure. It is equal to atmospheric pressure minus absolute pressure.

Vacuum cooling : A technique of cooling vegetable (leafy vegetables, asparagus Brussels sprouts) having a high surface to volume ratio rapidly and uniformly by boiling off some of their water at 10C and at low pressure (5 mm of Hg) into a sealed container. The produce is cooled by evaporation of water from the tissue surface and is more rapid than hydro cooling.

U value : U value is a measure of the heat transmission through a building part (wall or window) or through a given thickness of a material (insulation). U values with lower numbers indicate better insulating properties.
 
Ubiquinone : It is one of the groups of lipid soluble quinones that are found especially in mitochondria and have a long isoprenoid side chain, and function in oxidative phosphorylation as electron carrying coenzymes in electron transport.

T A Spoilage : The spoilage of low and medium acid canned foods by Clostridium thermosacharolyticum which breaks sugars and form acid and gas (moisture of H₂ and CO₂) resulted in swelling and in severe cases even bursting of can may occur and the spoiled food usually has a sour odour.

Saccharides : A monosaccharide sugar or combination of sugars is called saccharides.

Saccharification : The process of breaking a complex carbohydrate (starch or cellulose) into its monosaccharide components is called saccharification.

Saccharimeter : A device (polarimeter) used for measuring the amount of sugar in a solution is called saccharimeter. It is also known as saccharometer. It is a hydrometer with a special scale.

R - enamel can : The acid resistant, gold coloured enamel treated can are called R enamel cans. It is used for canning of acidic food which have soluble colouring pigments.
R factor : It is a group of genes present in some bacteria that provide a basis for resistance to antibiotics and can be transferred from cell to cell by conjugation.
R value : R value is a measure of resistance to the flow of heat through a given thickness of a material (insulation) with higher numbers indicating better insulating properties.

Q fever : Q fever is caused by a rickettsia like organism (RLO), a parasitic organism falling between bacteria and viruses. It is a disease that is characterized by high fever, chills, muscular pains, headache, and sometimes pneumonia, that is caused by a rickettsia (Coxiella burnetii) of which domestic animals serve as reservoirs, and that is transmitted to humans especially by inhalation of infective airborne bacteria as in contaminated dust.

Pack inspection : It is similar to continuous inspection except that here inspector(s) may make in-process checks during different processing operations under contract but not required to be present all the times in the plant during operation.

Package : The package means a pre packed box, tin, barrel, pouch or can etc in which food article is packed.

Package store : A store that sells bottled or canned alcoholic beverages for consumption off the premises.

Obesity : A condition characterized by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body. It is a physiological disorder having high body mass index (BMI), which can be expressed as a mathematical formula in which a person’s body weight in kilogram is divided by the square of his or her height in meters.

Naïve panel : It refers to the sensory evaluation panel that has not been trained specifically regarding the product evaluation being undertaken in the study.
Nano technology : It is the art of manipulating materials on an atomic or molecular scale to build microscopic devices. The word “nano’ meaning ‘dwarf” in Greek language refers to dimension / magnitude of the material / particle in the order of 10^-9. Nanotechnology is nothing but manipulating of particles into very small particles called nano-particles. These particles have dimensions in the scale of nano-meter and used to design / build materials and devices. Nanotechnology has been provisionally defined as relating to materials, systems and processes which operate at a scale of 100 nanometers (nm) or less. Nanotechnology is an anticipated manufacturing technology that allows through and inexpensive control of the structure of matter by working with atom. It will allow many things to be manufactured at low cost and with no pollution. The concept of nanotechnology was first given by Nobel Laureate physicist Richard P. Feynman in Southern California in 1959. Nanotechnology is sometimes termed as Molecular Manufacturing based nanotechnology “MNT”.

MAC : It stands for modified atmospheric coating.

Macaroni : Pasta made from semolina and shaped in the form of slender tubes.

Macaroni wheat : It is tetraploid wheat and is preferred for making macaroni, vermicelli etc.

Macaroon : A small cookie composed chiefly of egg whites, sugar, and ground almonds or coconut.

Mace : An aromatic spice consisting of the dried external fibrous covering of a nutmeg.

L - Ascorbic acid : It is a white crystalline compound with a slightly acidic taste. It is readily soluble in water, alcohol, glycerin, propylene glycol and is insoluble in oils, fats, ether, benzene, chloroform.

Lab coat : A loose white coat with deep pockets that is worn in a laboratory or medical office.

K ration : It is a lightweight packaged ration of emergency foods developed for the U.S. armed forces in World War II.
Kairomone : A chemical substance emitted by one species and especially an insect / plant that possess an adaptive benefit (stimulus for oviposition) to another species.
Kaiser rolls : A round crusty roll often used for sandwiches.
Kalamata /calamata : It is brine cured black olive grown in Greece.

Jaboticaba : It is a Brazilian tree (Myrciaria cauliflora) of the myrtle family cultivated in warm regions for its edible purplish fruit.

Jack salmon / walleye : A large vigorous American freshwater food and sport fish (Stizostedion vitreum) that has large opaque eyes and is related to the perches but resembles the true pike sometime also called walleyed pike

Jaggery : Raw brown / unrefined brown sugar in lump made from palm sap.

ICAP : It stands for International Centre for Alcohol Policies.

Ice Bank Cooler : Air forced cooler leads to desiccation of the produce. So use forced air high humidity cooler are known as Ice Bank Cooler. Ice bank Coolers are useful for strawberry.

Ice bank cooling : Storing of fruit and vegetable in storage chamber with positive ventilation and a system countries where ice formation is allowed during night time (as electricity cost of night is less as compared to the day time). Melting of ice occurs during day time and with proper air circulation by means of ventilation process, approximately 0.5-1^ºC temperature with 90% RH in the chamber is maintained.

HACCP : The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is a scientific, rational and systematic approach to identify, assess and control hazards during production, processing, manufacturing and use of food. It ensures safety of the food. HACCP presents a good opportunity for the food industry for upgrading quality and bringing uniformity and consistency in their supplies to international market. or It is a systematic preventive approach to food safety that addresses physical, chemical and biological hazards as a mean of prevention rather than finished product inspection. It involves identification, evaluation and control of hazards which are significant for food safety.

Galactan : It is a polysaccharide in which major monosaccharide subunit is galactose and often found among the pectic substances of cell walls.

Galactoblast : It is also called colostrums. It is female’s first milk after parturition.

Galactometer : It is an instrument used for recording the specific gravity of the milk.

Galactorrhea : A spontaneous flow of milk from the nipple is called galactorrhea.

F- distribution : A probability density function that is used in analysis of variance and is a function of the ratio of two independent random variables each of which has a chi-square distribution and is divided by its number of degrees of freedom.

F₀ value : It is used to express F-value when z =10^ºC/18^ºF and the temperature is 121.1^ºC. It is the number of minutes at a specific temperature (250^ºC) required to destroy or kill a stated number of microorganisms and has specific z-value. It is also called reference value. 

E numbers : Each food additive used in the food industry has been given a specific number code for their identification. These numbers are called as E numbers. These E numbers are used within the European Union. The word prefix “E” stands for Europe. They are commonly used on the food label through out the European Union. These are not used in Australia and New Zealand. The different food additives are given different E numbers depending upon the type of food additive like E100-E199 (food colours), E200-E299 (preservative), E300-E399 (antioxidants), E400-E499 (thickners, stabilizers, emulsifier), E500-E599 (pH regulator, anticaking agent), E600- E699 (flavour enhancers), E700-E799 (antibiotics), E900-E999 (miscellaneous like waxes, synthetic glazes, packaging gases, sweetners, foaming agents), and E1000-E1099 (additional chemicals).

Dahi : It is the product obtained from pasteurized or boiled milk by souring, natural or by harmless lactic acid or other bacterial culture. It is also called Curd.
Daidzein : These are the substance from which daidzein is derived and are isoflavone C₁₅H₁₀O₄ found chiefly in legumes and esp. soybeans.
Dairy : It is a farm building often a single room in which milk is cooled and temporarily stored prior to collection for transportation to the commercial diary. Here the milk is treated and made into cream, butter and cheese. Or

C - enamel can : The sulphur resistant lacquer is golden coloured and the can coated with it are called C-enamel can or sulphure resistant can, used for packing non acid products.

CA storage : Storage of commodities under gaseous atmosphere like gas storage, where the composition of atmosphere is controlled accurately. MA and CA differ only in degree of control and CA is more exact. These storage methods in combination with refrigeration markedly enhance storage life of fruit and vegetables.

B cell : It is one of the lymphocytes that have antigen-binding antibody molecules on the surface, that comprise the antibody-secreting plasma cells when mature, and that in mammals differentiate in the bone marrow. It is also called B lymphocyte.

B.T.U. : It stands for British thermal unit. The heat required to raise the temperature of one pond of the water through 1oF is called BTU.

Baby back ribs : Meaty pork ribs cut from the lower back rib section.

Abattoir : An establishment where animals are butchered is known as abattoir. It is also known as slaughterhouse. 
Abiotic : Abiotic means any factor which is not biological / abiological and especially there is no involvement of the organisms in synthesis of certain compounds.

INTRODUCTION

Food being the basic need of all humans and other living organisms, the production and processing of food is a continuous activity with several new procedures and technologies adoption; thereby the quality of food needs an emphasis which also protects the consumers by providing safe and suitable food. The contaminated foods, food borne illness outbreaks though at times referred to poor consumer handling, commitment for provision of safe food to consumers is also a Governments concern. In the recent years, food safety measures through Food Safety programmes and increase in awareness are being followed. The food production in our country is the most promising sector which is the cause for white revolution and green revolution. India ranks first in the world in production of cereals and milk and second largest producers of fruits and vegetables. India stands second in inland fish production. It is second largest exporter of rice and so on. Food processing sector has a great potential which covers a wide spectrum of products encompassing agriculture, horticulture, plantation, animal husbandry and fisheries. But the growth of food processing industries in our country is rather slow. However, to encourage, the government is providing lot of incentives in the recent years.

INTRODUCTION

A food may have three attributes (1) Provide energy and nutrition (2) Give pleasure, i.e., enjoyable aroma, colour, and taste and (3) Health benefits. Functional food has physiological benefits and reduces the risk of chronic disease beyond basic nutrition.

Functional foods, also reported as ‘nutraceuticals’, ‘medical foods’ or ‘designer foods’ in the literature, were first described by Roberfroid (1999) as ‘Food similar in appearance to conventional food that is intended to be consumed as part of a normal diet, but has been modified to subserve physiological roles beyond the provision of simple nutrient requirements’. Examples are iodized salts, vitamin A and vitamin D fortified milk and yoghurt, folic acid enriched bread, soy products, wheat bran and oats products.

INTRODUCTION

Food processing as a technological regime is undergoing a revolutionary change in terms of conception, product and process design and energetics. The conventional approach of a food processor is to develop products with a long shelf-life in user friendly packaging systems. Food processors are usually bothered about sensory attributes and microbiological profiles without much emphasis on the fate of heat labile nutritional and nutraceutical components. The changing consumer perception is slowly but steadily leading towards emergence of novel technologies without depending upon conventional thermal processing. A few years before, non-thermal techniques have emerged for food processing and preservation, but these techniques were restricted to framing of fundamentals with regard to the inactivation of vegetative and reproductive bodies of microbes and the deteriorative enzymes.

INTRODUCTION

Packaging is an important aspect in modern life and in fact the word ‘packaging’ developed a literal value indicating presentation of an issue or material in a comprehensive and compact manner. Food packaging has become a revolutionary trend and plays a dominant role in the promotion of marketing of various fresh and processed food products. The reason could be a number of aspects inclusive of protective, legal and aesthetic elements. The industrial revolution in the late 18th century caused major impact on manufacturing process. Without appropriate packaging no food is acceptable and even in the common household food packaging is being practiced in its own way to render food safety and convenience for various culinary operations. Therefore, food packaging needs to be considered as an essential element of food processing and marketing and it is one of the key areas in food technology making rapid strides in research and development.

INTRODUCTION

For thousands of years fermentation processes were largely natural phenomena exclusively identified with food preservation throughout the world. Fermentations can play a significant role in meeting the ever growing food requirements of world population providing benefits in the form of innovative food products with improved nutritional value and food quality along side better safety. Fermentations can be used to address a large variety of food related problems and in the development of processes to meet the demand for food. In the wake of estimations made by international organizations that global food demand and population would increase by two-fold by the year 2050, much emphasis has been placed over the ways and means to increase food production and preservation.

INTRODUCTION

Fruits and vegetables are historically important constituents of human diet and the growing awareness of consumers about the beneficial effects of these commodities could result in enhancement of global trade involving fresh and processed fruits and vegetables. Emergence of postharvest handling of fresh fruits and vegetables facilitated global trade of these commodities. The developed countries started realizing the export potential of these commodities by development of adequate value addition in terms of pretreatments, shelf life extension and packaging besides grading and other associated packing house operations. However, the trade concerning fresh fruits and vegetables could never come out completely from problems related to pesticidal residues, spoilage, bulkiness of the commodities involving transportation of inedible portions and excessive packaging costs arising out of bulkiness. The other problems associated with fresh produce include mandatory requirement of specific storage temperatures with refrigeration as the primary means of regulation of metabolic rate.