Essentials of Thermal Processing

Thermal processing remains the most important method of food preservation in use today, and the scale of the industry is immense. The large scale of these production operations makes it more important than ever that the process is performed perfectly every time: failure will lead to product deterioration and loss of sales at best, and at worst to serious illness or death. This volume is a definitive modern-day reference for all those involved in thermal processing. It covers all of the essential information regarding the preservation of food products by heat. It includes all types of food product, from those high in acid and given a mild heat process to the low-acid sterilised foods that require a full botulinum cook. Different chapters deal with the manufacturing steps from raw material microbiology, through various processing regimes, validation methods, packaging, incubation testing and spoilage incidents. The authors have extensive knowledge of heat preservation covering all parts of the world and represent organisations with formidable reputations in this field. This book is an essential resource for all scientists and technologists in the food manufacturing industry as well as researchers and students of food science and technology.

This is the latest and most authoritative documentation of current scientific knowledge regarding the health effects of thermal food processing. Authors from all over Europe and the USA provide an international perspective, weighing up the risks and benefits. In addition, the contributors outline those areas where further research is necessary.

The food industry has utilized automated control systems for over a quarter of a century. However, the past decade has seen an increase in the use of more sophisticated software-driven, on-line control systems, especially in thermal processing unit operations. As these software-driven control systems have become more complex, the need to validate their operation has become more important. In addition to validating new control systems, some food companies have undertaken the more difficult task of validating legacy control systems that have been operating for a number of years on retorts or aseptic systems. Thermal Processing: Control and Automation presents an overview of various facets of thermal processing and packaging from industry, academic, and government representatives. The book contains information that will be valuable not only to a person interested in understanding the fundamental aspects of thermal processing (eg graduate students), but also to those involved in designing the processes (eg process specialists based in food manufacturing) and those who are involved in process filing with USDA or FDA. The book focuses on technical aspects, both from a thermal processing standpoint and from an automation and process control standpoint. Coverage includes established technologies such as retorting as well as emerging technologies such as continuous flow microwave processing. The book addresses both the theoretical and applied aspects of thermal processing, concluding with speculations on future trends and directions.

Thermal Processing of Ready-to-Eat Meat Products provides critical technical information on all aspects of thermal processing of RTE meat products. Edited and authored by the most experienced and knowledgeable people in the meat industry on this subject, the book addresses all technical and regulatory aspects of the production of RTE meat products, such as heat and mass transfer, pathogen lethality, post-packaging pasteurization, sanitary design, predictive equations and supportive documentation for HACCP.

PROCESSING OF CERAMICS A firsthand account of the “transparent ceramics revolution” from one of the pioneers in the field Processing of Ceramics: Breakthroughs in Optical Materials is an in-depth survey of the breakthrough research and development of transparent ceramics, covering historical background, theory, manufacturing processes, and applications. Written by an internationally-recognized leader in the technology, this authoritative volume describes advances in optical grade ceramics over the past three decades—from the author’s first demonstration of laser ceramics in Japan in 1991 to new applications of transparent ceramics such as ceramic jewels, wireless heating elements, and mobile device displays.The author provides numerous development examples of laser ceramics, crystal and ceramic scintillators, magneto-optic transparent ceramics, optical ceramic phosphors for solid state lighting, and more. Detailed chapters cover topics such as the technical problems of conventional translucent and transparent ceramics, the characteristics of scintillation materials, single crystal and ceramic scintillator fabrication and optimization, and solid-state crystal growth (SSCG) methods for single crystal ceramics. Processing of Ceramics: Outlines the author’s 30 years of work in the area of transparent ceramicsProvides a detailed history of the world's first ceramic laser developmentDemonstrates how laser oscillation using ceramic materials match or surpass high-quality single crystalsDescribes how innovative polycrystalline ceramics have transformed optical material developmentIncludes extensive references, chapter introductions and summaries, and numerous graphs, tables, diagrams, and color images Processing of Ceramics is an invaluable resource for researchers, materials scientists, engineers, and other professionals across academic and industrial fields involved in the development and application of optical grade ceramics.

Thoroughly revised edition of the classic text on polymer processing The Second Edition brings the classic text on polymer processing thoroughly up to date with the latest fundamental developments in polymer processing, while retaining the critically acclaimed approach of the First Edition. Readers are provided with the complete panorama of polymer processing, starting with fundamental concepts through the latest current industry practices and future directions. All the chapters have been revised and updated, and four new chapters have been added to introduce the latest developments. Readers familiar with the First Edition will discover a host of new material, including: * Blend and alloy microstructuring * Twin screw-based melting and chaotic mixing mechanisms * Reactive processing * Devolatilization–theory, mechanisms, and industrial practice * Compounding–theory and industrial practice * The increasingly important role of computational fluid mechanics * A systematic approach to machine configuration design The Second Edition expands on the unique approach that distinguishes it from comparative texts. Rather than focus on specific processing methods, the authors assert that polymers have a similar experience in any processing machine and that these experiences can be described by a set of elementary processing steps that prepare the polymer for any of the shaping methods. On the other hand, the authors do emphasize the unique features of particular polymer processing methods and machines, including the particular elementary step and shaping mechanisms and geometrical solutions. Replete with problem sets and a solutions manual for instructors, this textbook is recommended for undergraduate and graduate students in chemical engineering and polymer and materials engineering and science. It will also prove invaluable for industry professionals as a fundamental polymer processing analysis and synthesis reference.

Coverage of the most recent advancements and applications in laser materials processing This book provides state-of-the-art coverage of the field of laser materials processing, from fundamentals to applications to the latest research topics. The content is divided into three succinct parts: Principles of laser engineering-an introduction to the basic concepts and characteristics of lasers, design of their components, and beam delivery Engineering background&-a review of engineering concepts needed to analyze different processes: thermal analysis and fluid flow; solidification of molten metal; and residual stresses that evolve during processes Laser materials processing-a rigorous and detailed treatment of laser materials processing and its principle applications, including laser cutting and drilling, welding, surface modification, laser forming, and rapid prototyping Each chapter includes an outline, summary, and example sets to help readers reinforce their understanding of the material. This book is designed to prepare graduate students who will be entering industry; researchers interested in initiating a research program; and practicing engineers who need to stay abreast of the latest developments in this rapidly evolving field.

In High Pressure Processing of Foods, an array of international experts interrelate leading scientific advancements that use molecular biology techniques to explore the biochemical mechanisms of spore germination and inactivation by high pressure; investigate the inactivation of different spore species as functions of processing parameters such as pressure, temperature, time, food matrix, and the presence of anti-microbials; propose predictive mathematical models for predicting spore inactivation in foods treated with HPP; address commercial aspects of high pressure processing that include the high pressure equipment and packaging used to achieve the sterilization of bacterial spores in foods; and provide an assessment of the quality of food products preserved by HPP. High Pressure Processing of Foods is the landmark resource on the mechanisms and predictive modeling of bacterial spore inactivation by HPP.

In this book, the field of adaptive learning and processing is extended to arguably one of its most important contexts which is the understanding and analysis of brain signals. No attempt is made to comment on physiological aspects of brain activity; instead, signal processing methods are developed and used to assist clinical findings. Recent developments in detection, estimation and separation of diagnostic cues from different modality neuroimaging systems are discussed. These include constrained nonlinear signal processing techniques which incorporate sparsity, nonstationarity, multimodal data, and multiway techniques. Key features: Covers advanced and adaptive signal processing techniques for the processing of electroencephalography (EEG) and magneto-encephalography (MEG) signals, and their correlation to the corresponding functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) Provides advanced tools for the detection, monitoring, separation, localising and understanding of functional, anatomical, and physiological abnormalities of the brain Puts a major emphasis on brain dynamics and how this can be evaluated for the assessment of brain activity in various states such as for brain-computer interfacing emotions and mental fatigue analysis Focuses on multimodal and multiway adaptive processing of brain signals, the new direction of brain signal research

Discover the materials set to revolutionize the electronics industry The search for electronic materials that can be cheaply solution-processed into films, while simultaneously providing quality device characteristics, represents a major challenge for materials scientists. Continuous semiconducting thin films with large carrier mobilities are particularly desirable for high-speed microelectronic applications, potentially providing new opportunities for the development of low-cost, large-area, flexible computing devices, displays, sensors, and solar cells. To date, the majority of solution-processing research has focused on molecular and polymeric organic films. In contrast, this book reviews recent achievements in the search for solution-processed inorganic semiconductors and other critical electronic components. These components offer the potential for better performance and more robust thermal and mechanical stability than comparable organic-based systems. Solution Processing of Inorganic Materials covers everything from the more traditional fields of sol-gel processing and chemical bath deposition to the cutting-edge use of nanomaterials in thin-film deposition. In particular, the book focuses on materials and techniques that are compatible with high-throughput, low-cost, and low-temperature deposition processes such as spin coating, dip coating, printing, and stamping. Throughout the text, illustrations and examples of applications are provided to help the reader fully appreciate the concepts and opportunities involved in this exciting field. In addition to presenting the state-of-the-art research, the book offers extensive background material. As a result, any researcher involved or interested in electronic device fabrication can turn to this book to become fully versed in the solution-processed inorganic materials that are set to revolutionize the electronics industry.