Introduction to Food Processing and Food Science Basics
What the exam tests
This domain checks whether you can separate food science (the study of composition, reactions and microbiology) from food processing (the controlled operations that turn a harvest into a stable product), and whether you can use mass balance and basic units. Expect definitions, reasons for processing, food-chain stages and simple yield calculations.
Core rules and concepts
- Processing aims at safety, shelf-life, convenience, palatability and value addition; it must not be used to disguise spoiled raw material.
- Food science draws on chemistry, microbiology, engineering, nutrition and sensory science.
- Spoilage and safety hazards come from biological, chemical and physical agents; preservation uses hurdles such as heat, low water activity, low pH, refrigeration and packaging.
- Keep units consistent: kg, degrees Celsius, minutes, degrees Brix, pH and water activity (aw).
- By-products such as bran, husk, whey and pomace are part of the mass balance and can carry value.
Worked example
A processor receives 100 kg of tomatoes at 5% total solids and concentrates them to paste at 25% solids. Assuming no solids loss, solids in feed = 100 x 0.05 = 5 kg. Paste mass = 5 divided by 0.25 = 20 kg. Water removed = 100 minus 20 = 80 kg. If the evaporator loses 0.5 kg solids as splashing, paste mass becomes (5 minus 0.5) divided by 0.25 = 18 kg, so yield falls from 20% to 18%. The reasoning is a solids balance, not a guess based on volume.
Traps
Calling food science and food technology the same thing; ignoring by-products; mixing % solids with % moisture; reporting yield without stating the basis.