Assam HS Skill Food Processing key terms

Any deliberate operation that changes a raw agricultural commodity into a safer, more stable or more convenient food, such as cleaning, milling, heating, drying, or packaging.

Techniques that slow or stop spoilage so food keeps its safety and quality for longer, including refrigeration, drying, canning, salting, and irradiation.

Food that spoils quickly without special handling because it holds much water and little acid, such as milk, fresh fish, and leafy vegetables.

The period during which a stored food keeps acceptable safety, taste, texture, and appearance under the conditions stated on its label.

A preventive system that identifies biological, chemical, and physical hazards at each step of production and sets control measures at the points where those hazards can be prevented, removed, or reduced.

A step in a food process where a specific control measure is applied and a measurable limit decides whether a significant hazard is kept under control.

The measurable value, such as a temperature, time, pH, or moisture level, that separates acceptable from unacceptable at a critical control point.

The basic operating rules a food unit must follow on premises, personnel hygiene, equipment cleaning, pest control, and record keeping so that products are made consistently and safely.

A written, dated procedure describing how a plant cleans and sanitises specific equipment and areas, who does it, and how the result is checked and recorded.

Transfer of harmful microbes or unwanted substances from raw material, hands, surfaces, or equipment to food that is already cooked or ready to eat.

Illness caused by eating food contaminated with pathogens, their toxins, or harmful chemicals, typically producing vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, or abdominal pain.

A measure from 0 to 1 of how freely water in a food is available for microbial growth and chemical reactions; lowering it extends keeping quality.

A scale from 0 to 14 describing how acidic or alkaline a food is; most spoilage bacteria grow poorly below about pH 4.6, while yeasts and moulds tolerate more acid.

A nutrient needed in large amounts for energy or body structure, namely carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

A vitamin or mineral needed in small amounts for normal body function; many are sensitive to heat, light, or oxygen during processing and storage.

Reduction in vitamin, mineral, or protein content caused by heat, leaching into water, oxidation, or light during preparation, processing, and storage.

A microorganism that can cause disease, such as Salmonella, Listeria, or Clostridium botulinum, and which food processes must eliminate or control.

A microbe that makes food unpalatable through off-odours, slime, gas, or discolouration without necessarily causing illness, such as many Pseudomonas and moulds.

A tough resting form produced by some bacteria and moulds that survives heat, drying, and chemicals and can later grow into an active cell.

A single, well-defined physical or chemical step, such as mixing, heating, or filtration, that is combined with others to build a complete food process.

A short hot-water or steam treatment of fruits and vegetables that inactivates enzymes, removes air, and fixes colour before freezing, drying, or canning.

A mild heat treatment, usually below boiling, that kills vegetative pathogens and most spoilage organisms while causing limited change to taste and nutrients.

A heat or other treatment severe enough to destroy all viable microorganisms, including heat-resistant spores, so a sealed product stays stable at room temperature.

Removal of water from food by evaporation or sublimation so that water activity falls and microbial growth and chemical spoilage slow down.

Preservation by lowering food temperature well below 0 degrees Celsius so that water turns to ice and microbial growth and enzyme action nearly stop.

Treatment of packaged or bulk food with controlled doses of ionising radiation to reduce insects, spoilage organisms, or pathogens without noticeably heating the product.

A food with water activity roughly between 0.6 and 0.85, such as some sweets and dried fruits, that keeps without refrigeration because available water is limited.

Deliberately lowering a food's pH, for example by adding acid or through fermentation, to suppress pathogens and spoilage organisms and improve keeping quality.

Controlled growth of useful microorganisms that changes sugars and other compounds in food, producing acid, alcohol, or gas that preserve and flavour it.

The unbroken series of refrigerated storage and transport steps that keeps chilled or frozen food within its required temperature range from production to the consumer.

Packing food in a gas mixture different from air, usually more carbon dioxide and nitrogen and less oxygen, to slow respiration, oxidation, and microbial growth.

Sealing food in a pack from which air has been removed, limiting oxygen-requiring spoilage organisms and oxidation while the product is kept chilled.

A defined preparation of live microorganisms added deliberately to milk, meat, or vegetables to drive a predictable fermentation and outcompete unwanted microbes.

Grinding and separating cereal grains into flour and by-products such as bran and germ, affecting yield, particle size, and nutrient content.

How well a protein supplies the essential amino acids a body needs; cereal proteins are usually limiting in lysine, while pulses are richer in it.

Comparing an instrument's reading with a known reference and adjusting it so measurements such as temperature, pH, or weight stay accurate and defensible.

The planned system of checks, records, and audits that gives confidence a food product will consistently meet its safety and quality specifications.

Scheduled servicing, lubrication, and inspection of plant equipment carried out before breakdown, reducing unplanned stoppages and contamination risks.

The person or firm legally responsible for the activities of a food business and for meeting food safety, labelling, and licensing requirements.

Printed information on a package giving the product name, ingredients, net quantity, nutrition details, storage conditions, and manufacturer or marketer details as required by law.

The ability to follow a food lot forward and backward through production, processing, and distribution so it can be recalled quickly if a problem appears.