RBSE SS Voc 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, freezing, or packaging.

The combined study of the chemistry, microbiology, physics, and engineering behind foods, used to explain how processing changes quality, safety, and nutrition.

A single, separable step in a process, such as mixing, sieving, evaporation, or drying, that can be analysed and scaled up on its own before being linked into a full production line.

A calculation that accounts for the material entering and leaving a process, so losses, yields, and waste streams can be quantified; it is the basis for costing and process design.

The ratio of the vapour pressure of water in a food to that of pure water at the same temperature; it measures the water available for microbial growth and chemical reactions.

A nutrient needed in relatively large amounts to supply energy or body-building material: carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Water is sometimes also included in this group.

A vitamin or mineral needed in small amounts for normal body function. Micronutrients are easily lost during processing through heat, light, leaching, or oxidation.

A non-enzymatic browning reaction between reducing sugars and amino groups of proteins that produces brown pigments and aroma compounds, and can reduce the availability of lysine.

Browning caused by heating sugars alone, without proteins, giving brown colours and butterscotch flavours; it is important in confectionery, baking, and sugar boiling.

The development of unpleasant flavours and odours in fats through oxidation or enzyme action, often described as oxidative or hydrolytic, and delayed by antioxidants and low oxygen exposure.

A laboratory measure of the hydroperoxides formed in a fat or oil, used as an early indicator of oxidative rancidity during storage and quality control of edible oils.

The amount of fatty acids released from triglycerides by hydrolysis, expressed as a percentage of oleic acid; a high value indicates poor oil quality or enzyme damage.

Illness caused by eating contaminated food, either through infection by living pathogens or through poisoning by toxins formed in the food before it is eaten.

A microorganism that causes disease, such as Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, or Escherichia coli O157:H7; pathogens are the main target of food safety controls.

A microorganism that makes food unfit to eat by changing its appearance, smell, or texture without necessarily causing disease; its growth is usually faster than that of pathogens.

A dormant, highly heat-resistant structure formed by some bacteria and moulds that allows survival through cooking and drying and can later germinate to cause spoilage or illness.

The time at a given temperature needed to kill a specified proportion of microorganisms in a food; it is used to design safe heat processes such as pasteurisation and sterilisation.

The decimal reduction time: the heating time at a fixed temperature that reduces a microbial population by 90 percent, or one log cycle, under specified conditions.

A mild heat treatment that destroys vegetative pathogens and reduces spoilage organisms, usually combined with refrigeration, as in the pasteurisation of milk, juices, and liquid egg.

A heat process, typically above 100 degrees Celsius in a sealed container or continuous system, that destroys all microorganisms capable of growing in the food under normal storage.

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

The destruction of naturally present enzymes, such as polyphenol oxidase or lipase, that would otherwise cause browning, off-flavours, or nutrient loss during storage of processed foods.

Removal of water from a food by evaporation to a level low enough to slow microbial growth and chemical reactions, giving a shelf-stable product such as dried fruit or grain.

A food with water activity usually between about 0.6 and 0.85, preserved by a combination of reduced moisture and added solutes such as sugar or salt, for example jams and dried fruits.

Grinding and separating cereal grain into flour and by-products by passing it through rollers or stones, with sieving stages that remove bran and germ to control flour refinement.

The proportion of clean grain that becomes finished flour or rice after milling; it is a key economic measure and depends on grain quality, moisture, and the degree of refinement.

A protein network formed when wheat flour is wetted and mixed, giving dough its elasticity and gas-holding ability; its strength determines suitability for bread, biscuits, or noodles.

A continuous process in which moistened material is forced through a shaped die under heat and shear, producing snacks, pasta, breakfast cereals, or textured protein products.

A natural compound in pulses and oilseeds, such as trypsin inhibitor or phytic acid, that reduces nutrient absorption or digestibility and is largely destroyed by soaking, heating, or germination.

The proportion of protein in a food that is broken down and absorbed by the body; it is lower in raw pulses and cereals and improves with dehulling, cooking, and processing.

The unbroken series of refrigerated storage, transport, and display steps that keeps perishable foods within a safe temperature range from production to the consumer.

Preservation by lowering food temperature below its freezing point so that water turns to ice and microbial growth and chemical reactions almost stop; fast freezing gives smaller ice crystals.

Dry, discoloured patches on frozen food caused by moisture loss through sublimation from the surface during storage, often due to poor packaging or fluctuating temperatures.

Removal of suspended solids from a liquid such as fruit juice or wine by settling, filtration, or fining agents, giving a clear product with improved appearance and stability.

Forcing milk or another emulsion through a narrow valve at high pressure to break fat globules into small droplets, preventing cream separation and giving a uniform texture.

A mixture of two immiscible liquids, such as oil and water, held in suspension by an emulsifier; milk fat in water is a natural emulsion stabilised by milk proteins.

The stiffening of muscle after slaughter as energy stores are depleted and muscle fibres lock together; its timing and resolution strongly affect meat tenderness and processing quality.

Preservation of meat or fish by adding salt, nitrate or nitrite, and often sugar, which reduces water activity, inhibits spoilage and pathogens, and develops characteristic colour and flavour.

Packaging in which the gas inside the pack is changed, usually by lowering oxygen and raising carbon dioxide or nitrogen, to slow spoilage and extend the shelf life of fresh or processed foods.

The period during which a stored food keeps acceptable safety, sensory quality, and nutritional value under stated conditions of packaging and storage.

A systematic preventive system that identifies biological, chemical, and physical hazards in a process and sets controls at critical points to keep them within safe limits.

Cleaning and disinfecting of equipment, surfaces, and personnel to reduce microorganisms and residues to acceptable levels; it is a prerequisite for any food safety management system.

The set of documented basic conditions and practices covering premises, equipment, personnel, and process control that a food business must follow to produce safe, consistent food.

Deliberate addition of one or more essential micronutrients to a food to correct or prevent a demonstrated deficiency in the population, for example iodine in salt or iron in flour.

The information printed on a food package, including ingredients, net quantity, nutritional content, storage instructions, and allergen warnings, governed by national regulations.

The natural or legal person responsible for ensuring that the food operations under their control meet food law requirements, including safety, hygiene, and accurate labelling.