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Explore the revolutionary world of nanofoods, where atoms are crucial in designing foods for optimal health benefits and sensory experiences. Discover how nanotechnology is shaping the food industry and the potential it holds for cleaner, stronger, and healthier food products.
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Nanotechnology – nanofoods • All products are made from atoms • These are between 1 and 100 nanometres (nm) in size (This is 1/millionth of a millimetre !!!!) • The properties of foods depend on how these atoms are arranged • If we rearrange the atoms in soil, water and air for example we can make potatoes • This technology is very new – still in the experimental stage • It could allow us to make packaging materials that are cleaner, stronger and lighter • It could allow us to alter the fat / salt / sugar in foods but still keep the mouth feel • There are concerns about the impact on health
Modified Starches(SMART starches) • These are starches that have been changed to perform additional functions to react to different processes. Modified Starch Used to thicken a food when boiled water is added Pre-gelatinised starch Used to thicken instant desserts without heat. A cold liquid is added and the dessert thickens without heat – e.g. Angel delight / dream topping
Functional Foods This is a food that has been artificially modified to provide a particular health benefit on top of its normal nutritional value • Some fruit juices have calcium added • Some eggs have higher omega-3 fatty acids (Thought to help reduce heart disease and cancers) • Some are made by genetic modification – e.g. Golden rice has carotene added to it to increase Vitamin A
Types of production • One-off-job • Batch production • Mass production • Continuous flow
CAD This means Computer aided design. It is used in Food production to.... • Help create product profiles i.e. What the products attributes should be • Nutritional modelling • Product modelling to meet aesthetic / sensory needs • Production of safety and hazard charts • Mathematical calculations for scaling up • Nets / graphics / calculations for packaging design
CAM • This means .... • Computer aided manufacture. It is used in food production to... • Control and monitor processes during mass / continuous production by... • Programming machinery - e.g. Exact weighing • Preventing food spoilage hazards – e.g. Temp. Control • Monitoring quality – e.g. Depth of icing on a bakewell tart • Giving feedback so that the ‘controller’ can rectify the problem
How are CAD / CAM used • Weighing of ingredients • Mixing of ingredients for an exact time to exact speeds • Chopping to an exact size • Shaping exactly • Assembly of products • Coating products (enrobing) • Cooking to exact time / exact temp. Food Safety • Sensors detect metal and other foreign bodies • Microbial level detectors • Temp. displays on fridges and freezers • Critical temp. probes for hot food