Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 12
Sustainability and Challenges of Minimally
Processed Foods
J. E. Dávila-Aviña , L.Y. Solís-Soto , G. Rojas-Verde , and N. A. Salas
12.1
Introduction
Food safety challenges in recent years have been emphasized by the demand of
“minimally processed” products. Minimally processed products have been defi ned
as food products that went through very little processing. Processing affects shelf-
life, providing ready-to-eat food with similarities to fresh products (Ohlsson and
Bengtsson
2002
). The food industry has been urged to utilize novel technologies to
produce safe food without detrimental effects on quality. As consumers are demand-
ing high quality minimally processed foods, manufacturers face new challenges to
develop safe and nutritious products (Rastogi et al.
2007
; Sun-Waterhouse et al.
2014
). One of the challenges of high priority is the rapid detection of pathogens in
food products. New testing methods need to be standardized and verifi ed prior to
their adoption by industry and authorities. Testing methods must have desired sensi-
tivity and accuracy, and these should need rapid results as well as low cost (Alzamora
et al.
2012
; Ngadi et al.
2012
). This chapter focuses on the integration of main
factors and challenges of “minimally processed” products. These include a brief
description of their globalization process and sustainability as well as consumers'
perception.
