RBSE SS Voc Food Processing flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Unit operation

A single, standardized step such as heating, drying, mixing, or size reduction that is combined with other steps to build a complete food process line.

Material balance

An accounting rule stating that mass entering a process equals mass leaving as product plus waste plus losses, used to calculate yields and design capacities.

Water activity

The ratio of a food's water vapor pressure to that of pure water at the same temperature; it predicts microbial growth better than total moisture content.

Maillard reaction

Non-enzymatic browning between reducing sugars and amino groups on heating, producing brown pigments and aroma compounds; favored at intermediate moisture and inhibited by high moisture.

Isoelectric point of casein

The pH value of about 4.6 at which casein carries no net charge and coagulates, forming the basis of acid-set dairy products such as yogurt and fresh cheese.

HACCP

A preventive food safety system with seven principles: hazard analysis, critical control points, critical limits, monitoring, corrective actions, verification, and record keeping.

D-value

The time required at a specified temperature to reduce a microbial population by 90 percent, or one log cycle, under stated conditions.

z-value

The temperature change in degrees Celsius needed to change the D-value tenfold; it describes how strongly a process depends on temperature.

Listeria monocytogenes

A foodborne pathogen that grows at refrigeration temperatures, is widespread in the environment, and causes severe illness especially in pregnant women and immunocompromised people.

Commercial sterilization

A heat process, typically around 121 degrees Celsius, that destroys Clostridium botulinum spores in a hermetically sealed low-acid food, producing a shelf-stable product.

Blanching

A mild heat treatment in hot water or steam that inactivates enzymes and fixes color before freezing or drying, helping preserve quality during storage.

Hurdle technology

Combining several mild preservation factors, such as low pH, reduced water activity, chilling, and preservatives, so their combined effect inhibits microorganisms.

Freezer burn

Surface dehydration and oxidation of frozen food caused by moisture loss and air exposure, producing dry, discolored patches without necessarily making the food unsafe.

Parboiling of rice

A hydrothermal treatment of paddy involving soaking, steaming, and drying before milling, which drives vitamins into the grain and reduces breakage.

Solvent extraction of oil

A process using a solvent such as hexane to remove oil from prepared oilseed flakes, leaving less than one percent residual oil in the meal.

Trypsin inhibitor

A heat-labile protein in legumes and soybeans that blocks digestive enzymes; it is reduced by adequate cooking or toasting of the meal.

Extrusion cooking

A high-temperature, short-time process in which moistened material is conveyed by a screw under shear, gelatinizing starch and texturizing protein into snacks or meat analogues.

Climacteric fruit

A fruit such as banana, mango, or tomato that shows a rise in respiration and ethylene production during ripening and can be ripened after harvest.

Pectin gel setting

The formation of jam or jelly structure requiring pectin, sugar at about 65 percent soluble solids, and acid at pH roughly 3.0 to 3.4.

Enzymatic browning control

Prevention of polyphenol oxidase browning by blanching to denature the enzyme, adding ascorbic or citric acid, or excluding oxygen from cut produce.

Homogenization of milk

Forcing milk through a narrow valve at high pressure to break fat globules into smaller droplets, preventing cream separation and improving texture and stability.

UHT treatment

Ultra-high-temperature processing of milk at about 135 to 150 degrees Celsius for a few seconds, followed by aseptic packaging to give long ambient shelf life.

Rigor mortis

Post-mortem stiffening of muscle as ATP is depleted and actin and myosin bind; it resolves during conditioning as proteases tenderize the tissue.

Trimethylamine

A compound formed from trimethylamine oxide by bacterial action in fish, producing the characteristic fishy odor that signals spoilage.

Nitrite in curing

A curing salt that forms nitric oxide for stable pink color in meat and inhibits Clostridium botulinum, but is regulated because of nitrosamine concerns.

Modified atmosphere packaging

Packaging in which the internal gas composition is adjusted, for example high oxygen for red meat or low oxygen and elevated carbon dioxide for produce.

Oxygen transmission rate

The quantity of oxygen passing through a packaging film per unit area and time under specified conditions, a key indicator of barrier performance.

First-in first-out

A stock rotation rule in which the oldest lots are dispatched first, reducing expiry losses and ensuring that storage time is limited.

Clean-in-place

A system that circulates detergent and sanitizer through tanks, pipes, and equipment without dismantling, with control of concentration, temperature, flow, and time.

Quaternary ammonium compounds

Cationic sanitizers effective against many bacteria and molds on surfaces, but they are inactivated by organic matter and are incompatible with anionic detergents.

Break-even quantity

The number of units that must be sold so total revenue equals total cost, calculated as fixed costs divided by price minus variable cost per unit.

Codex Alimentarius

The international food standards program established by FAO and WHO that sets standards, codes of practice, and maximum residue limits used in trade.