Technology influences every aspect of our lives and food isn’t any different. From cultivating crops and processing ingredients, to creating delicious food items food technology plays an important part in the development of the food we consume. To produce and process delicious and nutritious food on a large scale that can feed millions of individuals, the natural world occasionally requires a little assistance. That’s where technology for food is a key component.
What exactly is Food Technology?
While the term “technology” can bring to mind images of robotics, computers and algorithms, the concept of food technology isn’t akin to the latest technological advances that are in use today. Even the process of making cans (developed around 1810, through Nicolas Appert) is considered as a food technology since it makes use of technologies (stoves and canisters) to preserve food and help the food last for longer.
Based on the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) One can identify food tech as an application to diverse foods we consume, which comprises:
Food selection
Food preservation
Food processing
Food packaging
distribution of food and
Food usage.
Study areas that are related to food technology could include:
Analytical Chemistry,
biotechnology,
engineering,
nutrition,
Quality control, as well as
Food security management.
Each and every food item consumed has been affected in the way by technology in the food industry even the food you make yourself. The seeds you plant in your personal garden could be derived from plant varieties which have been bred to produce more crops using less sunlight and less water. Also, if you’ve got an indoor hydroponics garden to plant some plants in your kitchen counter it could be classified as food technology.
Food systems are a huge business that impacts almost every person on earth in the same way. A lot of institutions offer degrees, diplomas and certificates in the field of food technology and science. They also are equipped with laboratories where the latest food technologies are created and test. Sometimes, these labs are operated by government agencies or companies.
The significance of Food Technology
It doesn’t matter if it’s a government institution, school food scientist, or a corporation creating food technology its purpose is to meet the increasing demand for safe and nutritious food all over the world. Innovation in food science as well as food system innovation and the development of technology can lead to:
decreased crop and plant diseases,
Improved food quality
safer food consumption,
A wider range of foods,
Food items that are more affordable,
more efficient methods for food preservation, and
less food to waste.
Foods that are processed
The phrase “processed foods” has taken on an unpopular image in the past few years, it is totally insufficient. The majority of people believe that it is referring to food that comes in boxes and are stuffed with saturated fat, salt and preservatives.
If we go back at the definition of food technology it is clear that processed food is almost any food item that is an element of a food chain. The act of cleaning an apple, removing it from the tree it, putting it in an envelope and then transporting it to a supermarket store is a procedure.
The term “processed” food refers to:
eggs,
dairy,
baking,
cereals,
soft drinks,
snack foods,
frozen food items,
confectionary,
fresh fruits and vegetables,
tea and coffee
canned goods,
alcohol and wine, as well as
cooked vegetables.
Food technology plays an integral function in making the processes that food products undergo more secure, efficient, and cost efficient, starting from the farm to your plate.
Food Security
The United Nations’ Committee on World Food Security defines food security as individuals, in all times, with physical, social and financial access adequate healthy, safe, and nutritious foods that satisfy their preferences for food and dietary requirements for an active and healthy lifestyle.
ensuring that the demands of supply chain are met to provide enough food supplies worldwide is essential to keep those in the developing world full.
Making sure that everyone across the globe is able to access safe, nutritious food doesn’t only mean increasing the amount of it. It’s about turning the most fresh harvested raw food as is possible into nutritious products, while making the most efficient use of energy and creating a minimum amount of waste through the entire supply chain (processing packaging, distribution and processing) that comes with the production of food. Food technology is essential in ensuring that the whole world is safe from food insecurity.
Health
There is a growing the demand for convenience food options such as meals prepared in advance that we can simply warm and eat, however, there is also an increasing need for lower salt levels and saturated fats as well as trans fats that are found in these varieties of food items.
Science and technology in the field of food is always discovering new ways to reduce the amount of fat and salt in the convenience food items but also keeping the value of the things salt and fat contribute to these meals. Salt is essential to the flavor of these food items, while reducing water activity and preventing them from spoiling and enhancing the stability. Trans fats are essential for creating a smooth texture these foods. There is a constant battle in place between reducing the amount of fat and salt, while developing new products that fulfill their roles in food items.
Innovations in Food Technology
Nicolas Appert, a food scientist, is frequently cited as the founder of food science, or at a minimum the founder of canning, since Appert invented the first process for canning in the 1800s. However, the process of using technology to process and grow food has been around for longer than this.
Salt is used to preserve food items as an example, for instance, can be traced to the year around 2000 BC within Egypt. The use of hydroponics to grow food products without the use of dirt is also a matter of hundreds of years ago, but William Frederick Gericke, a plant nutritionist at the University of California, is often called the pioneer of hydroponics today and was the first to coin this term during the 1930s.
The Dr. Diana Maricruz Perez Santos, at Dr. Diana Maricruz Perez-Santos, who is with the Instituto Politecnico Nacional in Mexico City she says that food science and technology have been in use throughout the history of humanity. According to her technology and science in the field of food began as humans moved from nomadic life to agricultural that facilitated activities like cultivating fruit, domesticating cattle , and other animals, and also farming.
Human civilization grew, and the first processed foods such as wine and bread were introduced to extend the shelf life of the raw ingredients, by making them edible products that would last longer than the raw ingredients would.
Dr. Perez-Santos highlights Appert’s invention in canning as an “turning key” in the field of food science and technologybecause it enabled preservation of food on a largerand more industrial scale.
Another important improvement in food technology was the creation of the process of pasteurization through French researcher Louis Pasteur in the 1860s who realized that heating food items such as milk can kill bacteria, making food items safer to consume.
Food Technology Examples
In addition to the numerous examples of food technology we’ve discussed up to now There are plenty of new technologies being utilized for the production and processing of our food.
A few more recent examples of technology for food include the many robotics that aid farmers in tasks like watering, weeding and monitoring the health of the crops.
Robots also play a significant part in the packing and processing of food items. Some estimates suggest that in Europe alone there are 3000 robots employed in the food processing industry.
Another kind of technological innovation that’s revolutionizing the industry of food is software. Similar to machine learning algorithms, software improves the reliability of crop yields through the use of data and helps in quality control. In addition, artificial intelligence improves production lines to make these more productive.
Rapid response (QR) code are currently being utilized to track chains of custody for food items and improve quality assurance throughout the process of production. Customers can scan QR codes and view every stage of the food’s journey from the raw ingredient until when they buy it.
3D printing is yet another type of technology that is making it into food production. NASA astronauts are now able to 3D print pizzas from space. The technology can assist in the development of softer food for those with swallowing issues.
In addition to robots drones (together with data technology) can be used to aid in precision agriculture. This is the control and monitoring of yields from crops as well as soil levels and even weather patterns in order to boost the effectiveness of farming. For instance, if there is a outbreak of a disease in the field, farmers are able to use the technology to control the outbreak with greater precision than they did previously.
It is possible to use software in order to help reduce food waste. For instance the Copia app connects organizations which require food, such as schools, shelters and other non-profit organizations and businesses with surplus food items.
How Food Technology helps consumers
Food technology offers a variety of benefits for consumers.
The first and most important thing is to increase food security. For instance, during the Middle Ages, ergotism (poisoning by the ergot bacteria) was a common occurrence across Northern Europe, particularly where Rye bread consumption was at a very high. Modern milling methods – a kind of technology used in food processing – have eliminated the ergot poisoning from the past.
Consumers also enjoy better the quality of food. Food science and technology is utilized to make food more nutritious and delicious in particular the easy-to-make meals that play an important role in modern lives. For instance, less safflower-based manufacturing processes that make use of steam or pressure to improve the flavor and nutritional value of foods.
If you’ve ever kept the contents of a container for a long time prior to eating it, you’ve profited by the power of food technology’s ability to preserve the quality of food items.
When you look at the wide variety of food items available in your local grocery shop, you can be thankful to food technology for the creation of each of them. The 200 different varieties of cookies you can find in the aisle? Food technology.
Imagine how deficient your diet could be if you had to buy raw ingredients, and you must make all of your food from scratch.
It also assists in cutting down on energy, food and other waste by helping to make food with greater efficiency, creating more sustainable packaging and dispersing excess food those who require it.
From increased food security thanks to innovative farming techniques in addition to reduced food waste thanks to more efficient supply chains, consumers benefit significantly from the latest technology in food production.
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