eChapters

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.

Abstract

Inspired by the human eye to brain assessment process, computer vision technology has demonstrated its potential for monitoring and controlling of several operations in food industry. Computer vision technology is, therefore, applied extensively in food drying process for monitoring nutritional value and sensorial characteristics because of its promising characteristics such as reliable objectivity and repeatability. In this chapter, after providing a brief explanation of the computer vision technology and its prerequisites and principles, an example is given to elucidate how this technology is used for monitoring the visual attributes of foodstuffs during drying process. Overall, monitoring the visual properties of food products like size, shape, color, and texture in off-line mode are the most popular issues to fascinate researchers’ attention to apply the computer vision technology in food drying. Nevertheless, industrial applications of the computer vision technology for real-time monitoring and control of food drying facilities as final goals of its introduction in food drying industry seem to be limited. For future studies, it is suggested to apply this unique technology along with advanced soft computing methodologies for in-line monitoring and control of food drying process in order to achieve high quality dried products. Finally, outlooks and potential employment of this technology in food drying domain are discussed as well.

Abstract

By loosely inspiring the actions of neurons in the human brain, artificial neural networks (ANNs) are widely accepted as a powerful nonlinear adaptive approach to tackle complex, dynamic, highly nonlinear, and ill-defined problems in an increasing number of fields of food industry.They have been used extensively in food drying to solve problems of nonlinear function approximation, pattern recognition, data description, optimization, simulation, pattern recognition, control, data sorting, clustering, and noise reduction, due to their massively parallel structure and capability to learn from examples. In this chapter, after providing a brief description of ANN technology and its principles as well as the structure of the most commonly employed ANNs in this context, an example is given to explain how the ANN technique is used for modeling and controlling food drying process. Generally, modeling, prediction, and optimization of heat and mass transfer, thermodynamic performance indicators, and quality parameters as well as physico-chemical attributes of dried foods are the most popular subjects to attract researchers’ attention to apply the ANNs in food drying industry.

Abstract

Packaging plays an important role in the food processing Industry. It makes food more convenient as well as gives the food greater safety assurance from microorganisms, biological and chemical changes such that the packed foods can have longer shelf life. In order to meet the huge demand of processed food with longer shelf life, various methods of preservation and packaging are being used in the food processing industry. Drying and dehydration is one of the method which helps preservation of a perishable commodity against deterioration or spoilage.

Abstract

Most dryers operate at low thermal efficiency. The development of models and control systems offers an opportunity to improve dryer operation and efficiency. Dryer control is very important and with deeper understanding of the drying concept, new “smart” dryers can be made more reliable and more cost-effective than classical dryers. This chapter will provide an overview of necessity of control and safety measure in food drying system, and terminology related with drying control system. Different control strategy includes conventional and advanced techniques implemented in drying operation are reviewed  here and simple outline of intelligence control system in drying technology are briefly described in succeeding section. Various hazards in drying process and risk and safety management will also be discussed.

Abstract

Water, the most important component of common foods, is considered to be desirable as well as undesirable in the different food systems. Water-solid interaction in food systems controls various biological, biochemical and biophysical reactions affecting their acceptability. The retention or release of water from solid has been quantified in the terms of sorption isotherm. Sorption isotherm techniques have been used to characterize and identify the type of water-solid interaction in different food products. Sorption isotherm provides various information useful in designing and optimization of drying, storage, packaging, predicting quality and shelf life of the product.

Abstract

Dietary antioxidants can be found naturally in various fruits, vegetables and food products.Typically, antioxidant phytochemicals commonly found in food products are Vitamin C, Vitamin E, carotenoids, polyphenols, melanoidins and indoles. The main characteristic of an antioxidant is its ability to scavenge free radicals and form stable end product which inhibit the chain oxidative mechanisms that lead to degenerative diseases which are harmful to human health. Drying is widely used in food processing to minimize food wastage and to extend food shelf-life. Pretreatment, drying methods and storage conditions are some of the processing parameters affecting the quality of dried products. Selection of processing conditions and storage environment are therefore critical in maximizing the retention of food antioxidants. This chapter aims to compile and summarize studies carried out for antioxidants namely antioxidant contents in dried food products, effect of processing parameters and quantification methods in the analyses of antioxidants.

Abstract
 
Spray drying is used as one of the best alternatives for extracting essential constituents of fruit and vegetables. Spray drying of fruits and vegetable juice/purees, which is an excellent source of bio-functional properties into a solid phase helps to enhance their stability and controlled release in different food matrices. Spray drying along with different carrying agents helps to retain essential active compounds in fruits and vegetables. Spray drying is generally carried in three steps viz. atomization of liquid feed by suitable atomizer; drying of droplets with the help of hot air and motion of droplets. Carrier agents like maltodextrin, wax starch, Gum Arabic and microcrystalline cellulose are added to the feed to increase glass transition temperature. Chapter presents the effects of different operating parameters of spray drying as well as effects of carrier agents on the physicochemical and functional properties of spray dried fruit and vegetables powders.

Abstract

Drying remained at the centre stage since the initiation of the food processing due to its promise to preserve agricultural products economically and add functionality to a food product unlike other thermal as well as non-thermal food processing operations. However, many existing drying techniques have their own limitations like nutrient loss, damage of the organoleptic quality, high cost etc. Therefore, research for better drying technologies is going on. Supercritical drying (SCD) is one such technology which utilizes higher dissolving power of super critical fluids (SCFs) to dry food products. The current chapter illustrates the mechanism of SCD as well as current state-of-art and promise of the drying technology. Also, some modelling approach of SCD has been included in the discussion to facilitate new designs and optimization of SCD for various food products.

Abstract

Application of solar energy for drying of agricultural food products is one of the most attractive and cost-effective drying techniques. However, the intermittent nature of the solar energy is one of the major shortcomings of the solar drying system that can be alleviated by storing excess energy during the peak time and using it in off sun hours or when the direct availability of solar energy is inadequate. The use of sensible and latent heat storage systems in solar dryer is an effective way of storing thermal energy for drying purpose. This chapter will present information on different thermal energy storage (TES) materials, their advantages and disadvantages. The information available in the literature regarding the studies conducted on TES assisted solar drying systems is also covered in this chapter. In addition, some of the models that have been used by different researchers to test the performance of different TES materials are also reviewed.

Abstract

Food proteins are among the commonly used ingredients by food manufacturers to produce different products with desired characteristics. Due to several nutritional and functional properties, proteins have different functions in various food products in addition to their role in metabolic system of the human body. Dilute or concentrated solutions of pure proteins or unprocessed food products which are rich in protein are very sensitive to deterioration or degradation by microorganisms and thus have short shelf life at ambient temperatures due to their highly moist structure and high protein content. Drying is one of the best methods that can guarantee preservation, a longer shelf life, chemical or thermal stabilization and resistance against other stresses. A full understanding of stresses encountered during drying is needed to choose an appropriate drying process and to optimize this process for maximum product quality. A number of methods have been used by various researchers to dry protein-containing foods. Among these methods, freeze drying and spray drying are the most common techniques. Sun drying, convective hot air drying, vacuum drying, heat pump drying, radio frequency drying as well as combined or hybrid drying methods with two or more of the drying methods have also been developed.

Abstract

Medicinal herbs are economically and nutritionally important plants, which are rich in health-promoting compounds. Herbs are the backbone of both the traditional Chinese and Indian medicine, which has long history as part of their culture. Ensuring the quality of herbs is a crucial step for integrating the traditional medicine into science-based modern medicine. Drying is an essential technique in preservation of herbs as it affects directly the quality attributes of the dried products, whereas many producers lose much profit due to poor drying techniques. So, employing a suitable drying technology and selection of appropriate drying conditions are very important for producing high quality herb products. The aim of this article is to summarize the advances in drying technologies of medicinal plants, describe the current status and identify future research opportunities. The current work provides more data and information for selecting optimum technology for herb drying and would trigger innovative drying technologies to enhance drying kinetics and quality of herb drying.

Abstract

Fruit leather is a concentrated source of nutrient, energy and minerals processed from fruits in the form of sheet or leather. It is eaten as a desert or snack since ancient time. Fruit leathers have a greater benefit than fresh fruits if equilibrium ingredients are established and seasonal surplus of fruits are utilized and contributed to minimize post-harvest losses. The process of making fruit leathers involve making fruit puree and adding additives and preservatives for the purpose of enhancing taste and shelf-life. Drying, the key unit operation in making fruit leathers, is the most energy intensive and time consuming step in the process, modern drying techniques can be implemented to overcome the limitations. By novel means of processing technologies or enrichment could lead fruit leather to introduce high quality food product in the market. Continuous research and development can lead to a new era of production and development of fruit processing and overcome the obstacles during processing. In addition study on chemical and biochemical hazards involved in overall process will guide to ensure product safety. Market research tools e.g. quality function deployment method and other market analysis methods could be applied to understand the product trend, demand, consumer expectations and the scopes of improvement.

Abstract

Refractance Window (RW) drying is a relatively new drying technology. This method is carried out by spreading a thin film of food slurry on a conveyor belt made up of a transparent polyester material. The slurry is thermally heated as it moves along the conveyor belt, resulting in rapid drying of the product. RW drying is similar to Drum Drying, but conducted at lower temperatures (95–97^ºC) and without direct contact with the heat source. RW drying offers low operating costs with excellent retention of color, flavor and nutrients.

Abstract

Drying is an age old practice of food preservation. Removal of moisture from the food materials is usually carried out at atmospheric pressure and elevated temperature. In the presence of oxygen, drying can cause oxidation of some compounds leading to quality deterioration. Drying at higher temperature adds to the losses and can be responsible for enzymatic and non enzymatic browning, loss of aroma, nutrients, antioxidants, pigments etc. On the other hand, drying under sub atmospheric pressure helps in retaining the themosensitive compounds present in natural foods as drying can be accomplished in oxygen free environment. Under vacuum, evaporation of moisture can be possible at lower temperatures.

Abstract

It is well known that drying is an important unit operation in food processing industries, essentially used to extend the shelf life but also in making innovative processed products such as snacks with desired functionalities. Although drying of food products is carried out traditionally using several methods, the quality and energy aspects have been major focus of food drying research in the last decade or two. This is achieved by modifying and/or optimizing the existing drying systems, improving pre and post processing of the product, combination of more than one dryer type or developing altogether a new drying technique. There several dryer types which can give extremely good product quality, however, cost-effectiveness can be a major issue. It is necessary to balance both good product quality and minimum energy usage in order to sustain highly competitive market. This lecture will provide an overview of conventional drying methods used for foods, followed by some advances in these conventional methods and a discussion on some new drying techniques developed in recent years that are either commercialized or have potential of industrial use.

Abstract

Food dehydration is an oldest method to increase the shelf life of food by reducing the water activity. A dried food product provides advantages of increased shelf life and reduced cost due to decreased weight as well as transportation. However, there is a decrease in product quality due to inadequate control on drying process parameters such as drying temperature and moisture removal together with change in thermo-physical properties of food. Computational modeling and simulations can provide a unique insight on the drying parameters that influences the product quality, and optimize the process conditions which are difficult by experimental analysis. Moreover, the computational techniques are advantageous over experimental optimization methods by minimizing the time and cost. This chapter reviews different computational modeling techniques such as, finite element modeling, finite volume and finite difference methods for modeling of food dehydration process. Also, this chapter describes the application of modeling techniques for determining the influence of shrinkage and porosity during dehydration.

Abstract

There are several empirical models to describe deep bed drying dividing the domain into many thin layers. Empirical equations are seen as a resource that only serves to describe the thin layer drying kinetics of an agricultural product. Normally an empirical model is used to determine drying rate. The validity of following thin-layer drying models are accounted by coefficient of correlation (R2), standard error of estimated (SEE), root mean square error (RMSE). The properties of dried foods vary substantially depending upon the type of product, moisture content, drying type and ultimately drying conditions. To take care all above variables, a promising approach is to use Artificial Neural Network (ANN). In process control, the main objectives are food safety, high quality and yield at minimal costs. To obtain high quality products, on-line control techniques are required. Most food processes are highly nonlinear, with time varying dynamics, which complicates food automation. However, the recent developments in artificial intelligence based advanced control tools such as ANN to food processing have opened up novel possibilities for processing industries.

Abstract
 
Drying is one of the most popular methods used for preserving products and extending their shelf lives by reducing moisture content to a low level to prevent microbial spoilage and moisture-mediated deteriorative reactions. As an efficient technology with high heat and mass transfer rates, impingement drying has been commonly used in various industrial drying such as tissue paper, textiles, photographic films, coated paper, nonwovens, carpets, lumber etc. In the past two decades, air impingement technology has got more and more attention in the field of food and agricultural products processing.

Abstract

The primary commercial energy sources such as coal, oil and natural gas poses an enormous challenge to our development goals including environmental degradation, as India is not well endowed with these exhaustible natural resources. Further, these conventional sources are also not available in right quantity and producing environmental pollution manifold in land, air and water. There are number of unit operations in food processing and value addition consuming bulk of conventional energy sources where renewable energy sources can easily be integrated for energy conservation and environment protection. There is significant potential for application of Renewable Energy Sources in different unit operation of food processing including drying of food products for energy conservation and for reducing hydrocarbon emissions.

Abstract

Recently, the reduction of post harvest food losses around the globe is a critical issue for ensuring future food security. Drying techniques is important option to prevent losses and preserve food for long time. The solar thermal energy required to remove moisture from the food during the drying process can be optimized by designing suitable solar dryers. Moreover, the application of solar energy in drying of agricultural products has tremendous potential, since it can easily provide the low temperature heating required for drying and helps in reduction of CO2 emissions. Hence, the present chapter deals with descriptions of different types of solar dryers used to dry various types of agricultural food products and design of solar dryers. Also, the heat and mass transfer parameters with respect to various process variables to estimate the performance of the food dryer system were analyzed. The advantages of solar dryers in terms of net CO2 emissions mitigation potential and the quality attributes of dried food products are also discussed. It is suggested that properly designed solar dryers having low operational cost compared to electrically heated dryers may prove to be an energy saving device for drying of agricultural products. However, the techno-economical and environmental aspects of various efficient solar dryers are needed to be further studied for applications in various irregular shaped food products.

Abstract
 
Grains are usually harvested above 20% (wb) moisture level and they are prone to microbial attack at high moisture level. In order to avoid both qualitative and quantitative losses that arise from microbial growth, grains are usually dried to safe moisture level. The safe storage moisture content may vary from 8-16% (wb), depending upon the grain and climate type. Therefore, drying is a necessary step in preventing these losses. Drying also reduces the bulk weight of the materials, thus easing transportation and storage. Drying can occur in thin layer or in deep bed. Different drying theories are proposed to characterize these drying processes. Theoretical as well empirical drying equations have been developed.

Abstract

The objective of this chapter is to provide an overview of heat pump dryer (HPD) and recent developments in its applications for drying of agricultural and food products. The basics of heat pump dryer, classification, operating principle, configuration and control system have been presented for better understanding. Many researchers have concluded that HPDs use energy more efficiently than electrical dryers. The heat pump dryer is best suited for drying high value commodities such as fruits, vegetables, spices, condiments, herbs, medicinal and aromatic plants at near ambient temperature for producing better quality dehydrated product.

Abstract

Drying is a very important unit operation in food processing. Being an energy intensive unit operation, drying process demands improvement to make it energy efficient. Beside this operating conditions used in drying affect product quality substantially; however, traditional dryers do not allow enough flexibility to meet quality requirements for several products. This has resulted in development of number of new drying techniques, to cope with both energy efficiency and product quality.

Abstract

In recent years microwave processing have attained increasing recognition in food industries particularly in drying and dehydration. During microwave processing, electromagnetic energy is supplied directly to the food material for volumetric heating. This provides rapid temperature rise throughout the material with reduced thermal gradients. This unique heating mechanism reduces processing time and saves energy. In-spite of advantages of microwave heating it leads to overheating in food material and formation of cold and hot spots if applied improperly during drying. To overcome these challenges different microwave assisted hybrid drying technologies have been developed by many researchers. These techniques are microwave assisted hot air drying, microwave assisted osmotic dehydration, microwave assisted vacuum drying, microwave- infrared assisted hot air drying, microwave assisted rotary drying. This chapter comprises the fundamentals of microwave and provides comprehensive update of microwave assisted hybrid drying processes for food and agricultural materials.

Abstract

Hot air circulation is the most common industrial method of drying foods which has its own inherited disadvantages. Microwave drying can be an alternative method for removing moisture from foods and there has been a surge of interest in the application of microwave to process the foods, in past few years. The reason being that there is worldwide energy crisis and the growing acceptance and familiarity with domestic microwave ovens. It is well known that conventional means of heat processing irreversibly alter the flavor, colour, and texture of many foods. From the point of flavor alone, it is desirable to improve our present methods of processing foods. Some improvements have been made in this direction with a number of food products by use of high-temperature short- time processing.

Abstract

Spray drying is one of the most preferred methods of converting food and pharmaceutical solutions into powder form. Very high product throughput, hygienic and highly automated process and relatively benign thermal and dehydration stress on products associated with this process has made it ubiquitous in powder manufacture. Compared to freeze drying, spray drying is significantly less expensive both in terms of operation and capital costs. In this chapter, key features of spray drying such as underlying operational principle, types of spray nozzles used, the flow pattern of droplets/particles and drying medium within the drying chamber, the particle formation process of individual droplet are discussed in considerable detail. The modelling aspect of a single droplet subjected to spray drying environment has also been included. Finally, the most commonly considered characteristics of spray dried powders including morphology, crystalline/amorphous nature and solubility are highlighted and discussed.  The content presented in this chapter will be very useful for practising engineers, technologists, researchers as well as postgraduate and undergraduate students.

Abstract

Osmotic dehydration is gaining popularity due to several energy and product quality related advantages it offers. It has huge potential as a complementary process step prior to operations such as air-drying, microwave drying, freezing, frying etc, if not an alternative one, in the food process chain. It can be easily integrated with other processing steps in order to improve the overall efficiency of a given food process. Application of additional driving force either prior to or during osmotic dehydration can enhance the mass transfer rates in the osmotic dehydration. Role of mathematical modelling both in osmotic dehydration and rehydration have been discussed. Current limitations for the adaptation of osmotic dehydration in the food processing industry and possible solutions are also discussed in detail.

Abstract

Classification of the hundreds of possible dryers is essential to the logical selection of appropriate dryer for a given application. Diverse criteria for classification as well as selection of dryers are presented and discussed briefly. The advantages and limitations of different dryer types must be taken into consideration. Initial capital cost is often the key deciding criterion in industrial dryer selection. This is not a good strategy as the user must pay for the operating costs over a long period of life of the dryer. In general several different dryer types are suitable for a given product. Careful selection is essential for cost-effective operation of the dryer.

Abstract
 
Food products can have moisture content as high as 90% which needs to be lowered to acceptable limits to prevent microbial growth and deteriorative reactions. Drying is one of the most common and cost effective techniques for removal of excess moisture from the food by application of heat. In addition to its role of extending the product shelf life and providing stability, drying also helps to produce variety of products from agricultural, horticultural and industrial products. But to obtain the desired quality product, adequate drying is essential which depends on type of dryer and drying technique employed which further requires proper understanding of drying process. Despite being important unit operation in food processing industry, appropriate scientific knowledge of the drying process is still limited. So, the fundamental principles and associated terminologies with drying has been discussed in detail in this chapter to have thorough understanding of the drying process. In addition, different models and calculation procedures for drying of different types of commodities has also been reviewed.

The present publication has highlighted the issues on different aspects of food sector expressed by very distinguished authors. The issues have been discussed and illustrated how we conceive food as an item, what and how much food is known to consumers, what are common food sources, the relationship between food and health, food and nutrition security programmes in different regions of the world and how do we perceive food and nutrition policy challenges?

SYNOPSIS

After the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1992, the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus (CAC) began making the transition from controlled to market economies. All of the countries have programs for economic and social development as well as food security. Over the last decade, the regional population increased 11%, from 72 million in 2002 to 79 million in 2012. Agricultural production has increased throughout the region. For example, vegetable production per decade has nearly doubled due to an increase in the area of the crops grown and to increased yields, and was more than 19 million t in 2011.

SYNOPSIS

Food and nutritional challenges continue to be tackled in East and Southern African countries. Prevailing rates of high malnutrition among children and often in adults in vulnerable geographical locations do suggest the need for appropriate interventions. Of several global nutrition interventions during the 1980s, successful implementation of nutrition programmes in Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi and Ethiopia have established strategies / approaches that are promising.  In Tanzania, the Iringa nutrition programme (WHO/UNICEF Joint Nutrition Support Programme) was implemented during 1983-1988.

SYNOPSIS

India has been conspicuous as one of the most malnourished nations, as every child out of two is malnourished. Moreover, the levels of under nourishment is substantially high among tribal communities. The present investigation has been made to examine the levels of food insecurity at the micro level in four regions identified in the tribal dominated areas of Maharashtra on the basis of macro level indicators. A comparison of food insecurity between the two communities reveals a high incidence of food insecurity among the tribal as compared to that of non-tribal. The nutritional status of tribal children is much lower than that of their non-tribal counterparts.

SYNOPSIS

Food security is a complex issue, linked to availability and access to food, malnutrition in the population, economic development, environment, and local and global trade. Malnutrition hinders healthy growth and proper development of the human immune system affecting neurological and cognitive development especially in children.

Synopsis

Food safety has become increasingly important with globalization due to various factors such as increased volume and diversity of trade in foods, greater public demand for health protection, changing hazards e.g., resistant microbes, more sophisticated methods for detection of hazards, changes in production and consumption pattern, etc. Food safety contributes significantly to food security as unsafe and poor quality food leads to illnesses as well as food wastage. This leads to a strong need to emphasize not only on availability of food but also ensure that the same is safe.

SYNOPSIS

Urban and rural agriculture are different entities in terms of stakeholder involvement and enabling environment for farming but they are dialectically interlinked in providing food and nutrition security of any country. Urban agriculture is more suitable on the production of nutritious crops, while rural agriculture’s first priority is to produce more food from staple. Attaining nutrition security is more complex than it is previously thought. However, while existing systems of production should continue at field levels by developing more nutritionally rich cropping patterns, its integration with farmers’ farming systems remains more important.