Dynamic approach to assessing food quality and safety characteristics: the case of processed foods

Consumers expect that food products will be safe and convenient to use and still have all the qualities of a fresh product. Foods often undergo processing, which has three major aims: to make food safe while providing products with the highest quality attributes, to transform food into forms that are more convenient or more appealing, and to extend shelf-life. Food processes such as thermally based ones (i.e. pasteurization and drying) or frozen storage occur in time-varying temperature conditions. Mathematical models that describe/predict changes in processed food characteristics with accuracy and precision in realistic, dynamic conditions are important tools in the development of new products and control systems. In this chapter, mathematical models that include time-varying temperature conditions (i.e. dynamic approach) will be presented for two relevant situations in the domain of processed foods: the case of microbial thermal inactivation and the case of food quality alterations under frozen storage