Automation For Food Engineering

In the past ten years electronics and computer technologies have significantly pushed forward the progress of automation in the food industry. The application of these technologies to automation for food engineering will produce more nutritious, better quality, and safer items for consumers. Automation for Food Engineering: Food Quality Quantizatio

The implementation of robotics and automation in the food sector offers great potential for improved safety, quality and profitability by optimising process monitoring and control. Robotics and automation in the food industry provides a comprehensive overview of current and emerging technologies and their applications in different industry sectors.Part one introduces key technologies and significant areas of development, including automatic process control and robotics in the food industry, sensors for automated quality and safety control, and the development of machine vision systems. Optical sensors and online spectroscopy, gripper technologies, wireless sensor networks (WSN) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are discussed, with consideration of intelligent quality control systems based on fuzzy logic. Part two goes on to investigate robotics and automation in particular unit operations and industry sectors. The automation of bulk sorting and control of food chilling and freezing is considered, followed by chapters on the use of robotics and automation in the processing and packaging of meat, seafood, fresh produce and confectionery. Automatic control of batch thermal processing of canned foods is explored, before a final discussion on automation for a sustainable food industry.With its distinguished editor and international team of expert contributors, Robotics and automation in the food industry is an indispensable guide for engineering professionals in the food industry, and a key introduction for professionals and academics interested in food production, robotics and automation. Provides a comprehensive overview of current and emerging robotics and automation technologies and their applications in different industry sectors Chapters in part one cover key technologies and significant areas of development, including automatic process control and robotics in the food industry and sensors for automated quality and safety control Part two investigates robotics and automation in particular unit operations and industry sectors, including the automation of bulk sorting and the use of robotics and automation in the processing and packaging of meat, seafood, fresh produce and confectionery

This book review series presents current trends in modern biotechnology. The aim is to cover all aspects of this interdisciplinary technology where knowledge, methods and expertise are required from chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, genetics, chemical engineering and computer science. Volumes are organized topically and provide a comprehensive discussion of developments in the respective field over the past 3-5 years. The series also discusses new discoveries and applications. Special volumes are dedicated to selected topics which focus on new biotechnological products and new processes for their synthesis and purification. In general, special volumes are edited by well-known guest editors. The series editor and publisher will however always be pleased to receive suggestions and supplementary information. Manuscripts are accepted in English.

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.

Written by a team from the U.S. Army's Combat Feeding Directorate at the Natick Research, Development and Engineering Center, this technical volume represents a comprehensive guide to how the military designs, processes, customizes, packages and distributes highly palatable, long shelf-life food products for field personnel. The book offers new data on numerous technologies used to solve problems such as nutrient densification, lightweighting, novel thermal processing, and long-term quality preservation in delivering appetizing foods and more. Testing techniques are explained for evaluating sensory qualities of foods and their effects on physical and cognitive performance.

This book is designed to be everything its title suggests-a practical guide to automation within the food industry. It is the first book to offer practical advice on what can be a most bewildering subject in an industry where the use of effective automation is of paramount importance. There are many books dealing with the theory and practice of control systems in both the food and other industries. However, these tend to offer too much detail in both areas to be classed as overviews, or cover too much of the more obvious detail and gloss over, or avoid, the elements where the decisions are hard-even though these are the areas which are fundamental to successful and expansive projects. This book identifies those elements of any automation scheme which have to be considered first, and that form the foundations for any successful project. The editorial introduction outlines the content of the book and is a useful starting point. Examples are used, wherever possible, to show what can be done, how it can be achieved, and what to avoid. A glossary of definitions is included at the end of the book. All the chapters have been written by engineers, with many years' experience in this field, who have been able to express their views freely. The result is a book which covers the key areas of the subject, using a minimum of the technical jargon with which this subject abounds, in a readable, practical manner.

Food Engineering is a component of Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Engineering and Technology Resources in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. Food Engineering became an academic discipline in the 1950s. Today it is a professional and scientific multidisciplinary field related to food manufacturing and the practical applications of food science. These volumes cover five main topics: Engineering Properties of Foods; Thermodynamics in Food Engineering; Food Rheology and Texture; Food Process Engineering; Food Plant Design, which are then expanded into multiple subtopics, each as a chapter. These four volumes are aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College students Educators, Professional practitioners, Research personnel and Policy analysts, managers, and decision makers and NGOs

In the development of food engineering, one of the many challenges is to employ modern tools and knowledge to develop new products and processes. Simultaneously, improving quality, safety, and security remain critical issues in food engineering. Additionally, process control and automation regularly appear among the top priorities identified in food engineering. This book presents topical research in the study of food engineering, including: ozone technology in the food industry; current trends in drying and dehydration of foods; strategies for extending the shelf-life of foods using antimicrobial edible films; developments in high-pressure food processing; as well as tempering and polymorphism during chocolate manufacture.

The implementation of robotics and automation in the food sector offers great potential for improved safety, quality and profitability by optimising process monitoring and control. Robotics and automation in the food industry provides a comprehensive overview of current and emerging technologies and their applications in different industry sectors. Part one introduces key technologies and significant areas of development, including automatic process control and robotics in the food industry, sensors for automated quality and safety control, and the development of machine vision systems. Optical sensors and online spectroscopy, gripper technologies, wireless sensor networks (WSN) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are discussed, with consideration of intelligent quality control systems based on fuzzy logic. Part two goes on to investigate robotics and automation in particular unit operations and industry sectors. The automation of bulk sorting and control of food chilling and freezing is considered, followed by chapters on the use of robotics and automation in the processing and packaging of meat, seafood, fresh produce and confectionery. Automatic control of batch thermal processing of canned foods is explored, before a final discussion on automation for a sustainable food industry. With its distinguished editor and international team of expert contributors, Robotics and automation in the food industry is an indispensable guide for engineering professionals in the food industry, and a key introduction for professionals and academics interested in food production, robotics and automation. Provides a comprehensive overview of current and emerging robotics and automation technologies and their applications in different industry sectors Chapters in part one cover key technologies and significant areas of development, including automatic process control and robotics in the food industry and sensors for automated quality and safety control Part two investigates robotics and automation in particular unit operations and industry sectors, including the automation of bulk sorting and the use of robotics and automation in the processing and packaging of meat, seafood, fresh produce and confectionery.