Chemical Engineering Innovation in Food Production

chemical substance engine room Innovation in aliment ProductionThe inherent safety, convenience, avail magnate, nutritional content, artistic appeal, and course that characterize fodder supplies atomic number 18 a hallmark of current life. Chemical technology knowledge cease be accredited with amend the conversion of raw nutrimentstuffs into safe consumer products of the spunkyest possible quality. Among those, membrane-based judicial interval and opposite filtration techniques atomic number 18 roughly common. Chemical engineers consent applied their expertness to chemically compound fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides that promote crop fruit and protect crops from weeds, insects, and other pests (AlChe, 2009). Its so slowly to feel the contri providedion of chemical engineering in victuals sphere if we observe the morning tea to late night swallow. All affect diet stuffs most us is some(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal) or less causa to differe nt types of filtration. One of the fastest growing parts of the whole sector is the mineral pee and soft drinks sector, which has a coatable requirement for all right filtration (Sutherland, 2010).Modern techniques argon partd to improve the flavour, texture, nutritional value, safety, appearance and boilers suit aesthetic appeal of several(a) nutrients. Modern food dishing tin can also improve the quality of life for muckle with food allergies and for diabetics. Foods impact using unfertile box retains their vitamins, minerals, and desired textures, colours, and flavours more effectively than those affect with traditional canning. Nestl, Wal-Mart, Unilever, PepsiCo etc. be virtually world famous food companies without whom moodrn life cannot be imagined.Filtration in food touch onFiltration is a process where solid portions present in a suspension atomic number 18 separated from liquid or gas employing a permeable strong point (Srikanth, 2012). bug out, d epth and patty filtration atomic number 18 different types based on filtration mechanism. cardinal types of filtration hypothesis argon widely cognise which are gas filtration theory and liquid filtration theory. These theories have also some limitations. in that location are some criteria for choice of imbue modal(a) much(prenominal) as subatomic atom sizing that has to removed(p), permeability of clean medium, solid holding capacity of the medium, flow subway system of medium etc. separate aid is a very alpha factor which forms a start deposit to screen out the solids and it also proscribes the plugging of the supporting get across medium (Srikanth, 2012).Chemical engineers have invented a vicissitude of engineered processes that allow food processors to remove impure substances to improve food quality, safety, and aesthetics. Todays membrane-based separation is utilise widely to remove impurities during food processing by mash to force unwanted substances in f ood ingredients to pass finished a semi permeable membrane and it is also applied necessitately in the dairy farm industry, mainly as a processing phase in proceeds soft cheeses. Chemical engineers strive to maximize the open surface reach in filter, reduce membrane pore size, minimize the pressure overlook the suave will experience when flowing through the unit and maximize cost-effectiveness (AIChe, 2009). For food industries, on that point are some circumstantial requirements to choose filter media such as dissipation of electrostatic charges, high abrasion resistance, available clean-in-place system etc. In this dissertation, some food processing industries have been presented where different types of filtration are the key factor. Among those cane and beet sugar industry, starch and sugar industry, beverage industries like wine, beer etc. are notable. Filtration should be the most(prenominal) prior subject to enhance food safety management of an industry. It can he lp to remove physical, chemical and other microbiological contaminants with great efficiency.This also focuses on advantages of self-cleaning filters over manual and mechanical cleaning. Advances in filtration technology include the development of continuous processes to replace old batch process technology (Patel R. et al, 2010). fodder PROCESSING INDUSTRIESChemical engineering innovation in food outturnIf the grass on the other side of the fence appears greener . . . it must be all the fertilizer they are using. Kevin Rodowicz.The food industry is a complex, orbicular collective of diverse businesses that supply much of the food energy consumed by the world cosmos. Before modern engineering advances were widely pick out by the food industry, the variety of foods available at stores were determined by what was produced locally, since tape transport limitations predicted the distance that perishable foods could travel (AIChe, 2009).Chemical engineers routinely develop innova tive materials and techniques use for, among other things, chemical and heat sterilization, advanced packaging, and monitoring and control, which are essential to the highly automated facilities for the high-throughput production of safe food products (AIChe, 2009). Chemical engineering unit operations and procedures, established for other industrialized reasons, are used by the food industry like drying, milling, extrusion, refrigeration, heat and messiness transfer, membrane-based separation, concentration, centrifugation, fluid flow and blending, powder and bulk -solids mixing, pneumatic conveying, and process mode ling, monitoring, and control. Among these, membrane-based separation and other filtration techniques are mostly common (AIChe, 2009).Technological milest one(a)s all over the years, engineered solutions have increase the production of processed fruits and vegetables, dairy, meat and poultry, and seafood products, and have allowed more widespread distri stillion of su ch foods. The following are some of the most revolutionary improvements in food processing noted in the Milestones of the twentieth Century by the Institute of Food Technologists (AIChe, 2009).1900s Vacuum packaging, which removes the oxygen from inner(a) the food package, was invented to prolong the ledge life of foods, and the widespread practice of halt foods began with fruit and fish. The first ready-to -eat cereals using many chemical engineering unit operations appeared as well (AIChe, 2009).1920s Fast-freezing practices for foods were first commercialized by Clarence Birdseye, whose name has be aim practically known with fixed foods. Birdseye found that by blanching vegetables (cooking them for a short time in boiling water) just beforehand freezing, the process could deactivate accredited enzymes that induce off-colours and off-flavours, thereby enhancing the quality of the thawed vegetables. The first commercial use of puffing to produce such cereals as Cheerios and puffed rice also began (AIChe, 2009).1930s Freeze-drying processes were pioneered in this decade, and frozen foods are dried by and by deep freezing, in which the entrained water is removed by a process known as sublimation by warmth the frozen product in a vacuum chamber. Freeze-dried foods in turn become shelf-stored foods that quickly regain their original flavour, aroma, size, shape, and texture after rehydration. The removal of water slows spoilage, thus providing longer shelf life, and reducing the encumbrance of the food, which makes it cheaper and easier to transport (AIChe, 2009).1940s The advent of automated processes to concentrate, freeze, and dehydrate foods enabled a great variety of foods to be mass-produced and packaged for shipment overseas to host personnel during World War II. Disease-free packaging extremely change food quality, safety, and nutrient retention (AIChe, 2009).1950s During this era, monitored-atmosphere packaging using p finalic increased the s helf life of fresh foods. The process controls oxygen and carbon dioxide levels inside the packaging environment to reduce respiration by fruits and vegetables (similar to human breathing) and reduces the sum total of off-gas ethylene produced, which delays maturing and damage (AIChe, 2009).1960s The first commercial-scale producing machine began producing cold-dried foods and coffee. Advances in aseptic processing allowed shorter heating times for sealed food containers (AIChe, 2009).1970s The cessation of the 1970s saw growing usage in the chemical process industries (paint, textile, oil recovery, pulp and paper). In this decade, the study effects of this technology is in the food and biotechnology processing industries, where ultrafiltration and cross-flow microfiltration are finding increasing uses as a gentle and efficient way of fractionating, concentrating and clarifying a variety of food from take out products, fruit juices and alcoholic beverages to fermentation broths , protein fractions and wastewaters (Cheryan M, 1986).1980s Advanced-atmosphere packaging began to be used widely during this era and It is a more liberal difference of controlled-atmosphere packing, in which the head space atmosphere within a food package or the transportation/ storage vessel is limited by flushing it with a blend of inert (nonreactive) gases (AIChe, 2009).1990s High-pressure processing was commercially applied first to fresh packaged foods to kill microorganisms that cause spoilage without altering flavours, texture, or appearance (AIChe, 2009).After 2000 Recent food trends are actually based on fat calculation but tasty, healthy and doctor-designed. Different types of cup barrooms, cheese, pizza, fast foods etc. are peoples first choice. likewise various types of grain made foods are getting popularity day by day (AIChe, 2009).Advances in chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticidesEarly mankind experimented with human and animal(prenominal) wastes, seaweed , ashes and other substances to fertilize crops and increase productivity. Chemical engineers have applied their expertise to chemically synthesize fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides that promote crop growth and protect crops from weeds, insects, and other pests. Today, the use of these products is more important than ever to meet the needs of an ever-expanding population (AIChe, 2009).FertilizersNitrogen is the most plentiful part of the air we breathe, present at 79% by saturation and a prime nutrient (most a great deal in the form of ammonia). Modern fertilizers stem from a chemical engineering breakthrough pioneered by Fritz Haber in 1908 that developed a process to synthesize ammonia by reperforming hydrogen with nitrogen and in 1918, he was awarded the Nobel evaluate in Chemistry for this discovery (AIChe, 2009).Working with industria inclination of an orbit Carl Bosch, Haber scaled up the booming Haber-Bosch process that allows ammonia to be produced cost-effectivel y in commercial quantities for use in nitrogen fertilizers. Habers original reaction was carried out under high pressures. The improved ammonia synthesis process carries out the reaction at lour pressures and temperatures, which helps save money by reducing the amount of energy ask by the process (AIChe, 2009).Pesticides and herbicidesChemists and chemical engineers have also been helpful in the discovery, synthesis and commercial-scale manufacture of various chemical compounds that are used as pesticides (to kill insects) and herbicides (to kill weeds). For example, chemical engineers discovered that when glyphosate (the primary ingredient in Monsantos widely used herbicide Roundup) is applied to a crop, it inhibits a specific growth enzyme called the EPSP synthase. Glyphosate is rapidly metabolized by weeds, and unlike many other forward herbicides, it binds tightly to soil so that it does not accumulate in outpouring to contaminate surface waters or underground aquifers. Acco rding to its manufacturer, it eliminates more than 125 kinds of weeds, but does not affect mammals, birds, fish, or insects (AIChe, 2009).Advanced food processing techniquesToday, imaginative and effective engineered approaches many drawn directly from the chemical engineers toolbox routinely add nutrients, improve aesthetic appeal (in ground of a foods flavours, texture, and appearance), enable longer distance transport (leading to multi-seasonal availability), extend shelf life, and remove microorganisms that contribute to spoilage and are responsible for food-borne illnesses. Modern food processing can also improve the quality of life for people with food allergies (by removing or neutralizing the proteins and other substances that create allergic reactions in certain people) and for diabetics (by reducing sugar content and providing sugar-free alternatives).The roasting of coffee noodles requires exceptionally nice control of the chemical and physical reactions over time. Depe nding on the progressive domed stadium temperature experienced during roasting, final flavours characteristics can vary widely. Chemical engineers have devised ship canal to make timely adjustments to the roaster to moderate airflow rates and manipulate bean temperatures without changing the flavours (AIChe, 2009).Sterilizing and packaging perishable foodsSterilization is a key view of any food -packaging operation. The ability to sterilize foods to protect them against spoilage by oxidation, bacteria, and moulds has always presented an important engineering challenge. Throughout history, people have experimented with the use of dehydration, smoking, salting, pickling, candying and the use of certain spices. They include high-temperature pasteurization and canning, refrigeration and freezing, chemical preservatives (using such compounds as sulphite, sodium nitrite, ethyl formate, propionic acid, sorbic acid, and benzoic acid), and irradiation (AIChe, 2009).PasteurizationIn the ear ly years, no one knew how Nicolas Apperts process preserved foods successfully, but the ability to can foods meant that Napoleons army fighting a long way from situation could be fed properly and safely and that British sailors could maintain a healthier diet by feasting on fruits, vegetables, and meats while on long voyages overseas.More than 50 years later, Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) explained the mystery by proving that the growth of microorganisms is the primary cause of food spoilage and food -borne illnesses and that a high percentage of them could be killed by heating liquids to about 130F (55C) or higher, for relatively short periods, without altering the chemical makeup of the food. This mere(a) process became known as pasteurization and was quickly and widely adopted (AIChe, 2009).Aseptic packagingFirst introduced in the U.S. in the early 1960s, it provides major advantages over traditional canning. It allows many products once considered perishables such as milk and juic e to be packaged, distributed, and stored for months or longer without the need for refrigeration, irradiation, or chemical preservatives. In general, during aseptic packaging, both the food and packaging are disinfect at high temperatures for very short periods (AIChe, 2009).The original technology superheated steam clean to sterilize cans. Pressurized heat exchangers and holding tubes allows the foods and beverages to be sterilized at around 300F. Foods processed using aseptic packaging retains their vitamins, minerals, and desired textures, colours, and flavours more effectively than those processed with traditional canning. In 1989, aseptic-packaging technology was voted the food industrys egest innovation of the last 50 years by the Institute of Food Technologists (AIChe, 2009).Some world famous food companiesIn terms of incarnate size, food manufacture has no companies to match the giants of other sectors (Sutherland, 2010). Although still by far the largest of the food pr oducers, Nestl, with annual sales in 2009 of about $95 one million million million (well down on 2008), is sole(prenominal) a quarter of the size of the largest petroleum companies such as Exxon or Shell (Sutherland, 2010). (There are, of course, food retailers much larger than Nestl, especially Wal-Mart whose 2009 sales of $400 billion made it the third base largest caller-out in the world in terms of turnover, with Carrefour a long way behind at second in the list of retailers, at $130 billion (Sutherland, 2010).The next largest company classified as a food producer is Unilever, with total 2009 sales of $53 billion (although the Unilever picture is complicated by its extensive range of non-food household goods businesses) (Sutherland, 2010). Unilever is nearly followed by Cargill, the largest private company in the USA, and by Archer-Daniels-Midland, although both of these are large natural product commodity dealers as well. Then come ConAgra, Kraft Foods, Danone, Kellogg, Ge neral Mills, and H J Heinz (Sutherland, 2010).For some time, the leading beverage companies have been the soft drink makers Pepsico (2009 sales of $43 billion) and Coca the skinny ($32 billion), some distance ahead of the brewers (Sutherland, 2010). This picture changed in 2008 with the procure of Anheuser-Busch by InBev (itself the fairly recent merger of Interbrew and AmBev) to create a company larger than Coca Cola (although still behind Pepsi) and second in size of the brewers is now SABMiller (a 2002 creation), followed by Heineken and then Carlsberg (Sutherland, 2010). Further consolidation in the beverage sector is being driven by a inquisition for markets, because beer drinking can be very regional. Thus, Heineken has acquired the beer business of Femsa in Mexico which holds 40% of its domestic market and nearly 10% of that in Brazil and one of the fastest growing parts of the whole sector is the mineral water and soft drinks sector, which has a sizeable requirement for fine filtration (Sutherland, 2010).FILTRATIONDefinitionFiltration is a process whereby solid particles present in a suspension are separated from the liquid or gas using a porous medium, which retains the solid but, allows the fluid to pass through. It is a common operation used widely in sterile products, bulk drugs and in liquid literal formulation. The suspension to be filtered is called slurry. The porous medium used to retain the solids is known as filter medium and the accumulated solids on the filter are referred as filter cake and the clear liquid passing through the filter is sink in (Srikanth, 2012). The pores of the filter medium are smaller than the size of particles to be separated. When feed is passed over the filter medium, the fluid flows through it by virtue of a pressure differential across the filter. Gravity is acting on the liquid column the solids are trapped on the surface of the filter medium. After a particular point of time, the resistance offered by the filter cake is high that stops the filtration (Sambhamurthy, 2005).Types of filtrationBased on the mechanism, there are 3 types of filtration which are surface filtration, depth filtration and cake filtration.Surface filtrationIt is a screening action by which pores or holes of the medium prevent the passage of solids. For this purpose, plates with holes or woven sieves are used (Matteson, 1987). An example is a cellulose membrane filter.Depth filtrationThis filtration mechanism retains particulate matter not only on the surface but also at the inside of the filter. It is extensively used for clarification. Ceramic filters and sintered filters are examples of depth filtration (Stephan, 2003).Case study of depth filtration (Carey, 2008)Several forces have driven changes in filtration technology during the last few decades, including environmental concerns, the health and safety of winery employees and wine quality. The major active component in traditional depth filtration is diatom aceous earth, which has several major problems. First, it is difficult to dispose because it does not decompose. Second, it can cause symptoms similar to coalminers dark lung disease when inhaled over long periods of time. To overcome these drawbacks, cross flow filtration and ultra-filtration are being practiced in recent years.Cross flow filtrationIt ranges amongst ultra-filtration and reverse osmosis and the nominal pore size of the membrane is typically on a lower floor 1 nanometer (Wikipedia, 2012). Nano filtration membranes are still subject to scaling and fouling and a lot modifiers such as anti-scalants are required for use (Hillie, 2007).Ultra filtrationIt is a pressure driven membrane transport process that has been applied on both the laboratory and industrial scale. It is becoming a powerful separation tool for the rapidly growing biotechnology industry (Goldsmith et al., 1974).Cake filtrationBy this mechanism, the cake accumulated on the surface of the filter is itse lf used as a filter. A filter consists of a coarse woven stuff through which a concentrated suspension of rigid particles is passed so that they pair the holes and forma bed.Theory of filtrationDepending on dispersing medium filtration theory is divided in ii partsGas filtrationLiquid filtrationGas filtration theoryIt mainly includes filtration of aerosols and lyosols. There are several mechanisms for this theory. They are as follows (Wilson Cavanagh, 1969).Diffusion depositionThe trajectories of item-by-item small particles do not coincide with the streamlines of the fluid because of Brownian motion. With decreasing particle size the glitz of Brownian motion increases and, as a consequence, so does the intensity of diffusion deposition.Direct interceptionThis mechanism involves the finite size of particles. A particle is intercepted as it approaches the collection surface to a distance equal to its radius.inertial depositionThe presence of a body in the flowing fluid results in a curvature of the streamlines in the neighbourhood of the body. Because of their inertia, the individual particles do not follow the curved streamlines but are projected against the body and may deposit there. It is obvious that the intensity of this mechanism increases with increasing particle size and velocity of flow.Gravitational depositionEvery particle has a definite sedimentation speed due to gravity. As a consequence, the particles degenerate from the streamlines of the fluid and owing to this deviation the particles may touch a fibre. electrostatic depositionBoth the particles and the fibres in the filter may carry galvanic charges. Deposition of particles on the fibres may take place because of forces acting in the midst of charges or induced forces.Liquid filtration theoryThe term solid-liquid filtration covers all processes in which a liquid containing suspended solid is freed of some or the entire solid when the suspension is drawn through a porous medium (Melia Weber, 1972).Kozeny Carman equation= . (1)Here,A = filter areaV = total volume of filtrate deliveredt = filtration timeP = pressure drop across cake and mediumr = specific cake resistance = filtrate viscosityl = cake thicknessL = thickness of cake equivalent to medium resistance (Skilling, 2001).LimitationsThis equation does not take into peak of the fact that depth of the granular bed is lesser than the actual raceway traversed by the fluid. The actual path is not straight throughout the bed, but it is sinuous (Chowdiah et al., 1981).Poiseulles lawThis Law considered that filtration is similar to the streamline flow of a liquid under pressure through capillaries.= . (2)Cake resistance, RM = . (3)Specific cake resistance, = P. (4)The filter resistance is much less than the cake resistance (RC Filter mediaThe filter medium acts as a mechanical support for the filter cake and it is responsible for the collection of solids (Srikanth, 2012). negligible cake thickness of void for different types of filter is presented in Table 1 (Subramanyam et al., 2005).Table 1 Minimum cake thickness for discharge (Andrew et al., 2002)Filter typeMinimum design thicknessBelt3.0-5.0Roll discharge1.0Standard scraper6.5 gyre3.0-5.0String discharge6.5Horizontal belt3.0-5.0Horizontal table19.0Materials used as filter media (Rushton, 2008)Different types of materials used as filter media for various applications industrially and domestically are presented in Table 2.Table 2 Type of filter media, features and their application (Patel R. et al, 2010).Type of filter mediaFeaturesApplication