Chilled foods: a comprehensive guide
(second edition)

Understand the chilled foods sector - its products, processes, constraints and innovations - with the second edition of this essential reference guide for all manufacturers of chilled food products.

The current diversity of high-quality chilled foods, more strikingly than any other development, illustrates the growth in choice, quality and convenience of foods for the consumer. This has been achieved through innovative development both of the products themselves, and the technologies that facilitate their safe preparation, processing, distribution and retail. This, in turn, has required better understanding of the food materials concerned and the systematic application of scientific principles of food technology to assure end-product safety and quality.

Written by a panel of 20 authors, with extensive industrial and research experience in the field of chilled foods, this new edition provides a detailed consideration of the chilled food market and the production of chilled foods, from raw material selection through to temperature-controlled distribution and display of end-product. In doing so, it addresses not only the fundamentals of the products, processes and packaging, but highlights the many associated issues such as microbiological analysis and safety, process design and shelf-life testing, cleaning and disinfection, total quality management and legislation.

Contents

• Introduction - the chilled foods market

Part I - Raw materials

• Raw material selection - fruit and vegetables
• Raw material selection - dairy ingredients
• Raw material selection - meat and poultry

Part II - Technologies and processes

• The refrigeration of chilled foods
• Temperature monitoring and measurement
• Chilled food packaging

Part III - Microbiological and non-microbiological hazards

• Chilled foods microbiology
• Conventional and rapid analytical microbiology
• Non-microbial factors affecting quality and safety

Part IV - Safety and quality issues

• Shelf-life determination and challenge testing
• Microbiological hazards and safe process design
• Quality and consumer acceptability
• The hygienic design of chilled foods plant
• Cleaning and disinfection
• Total quality management
• Legislation

Hardcover - 486 pages