Methods, Processes &

Equipment Involved in
Manufacturing Food &
Beverage
The food and beverages industry
is all companies involved in
processing raw food materials,
packaging, and distributing them.
This
includes fresh, prepared foods as
well as packaged foods, and
alcoholic and
nonalcoholic beverages.
Properties of Raw Material:
Physical (density, viscosity, fluidity)
Geometric (shape, size, surface area)
Sensorial characteristics (texture, flavor)
Functional properties
Susceptibility to deterioration and damage (defects by deterioration or damage)
 Suppliers Raw materials
Harvesters/farmers receiving

Raw materials
storage

Raw materials use in

processing Production area
storage/pretreatment

Fig. Main Handling food Final products

materials processes in the Retailers
storage
food industry
Food Processing Equipment

A wide range of instruments, gages, machinery and

equipment is used in the food processing industry. In
many cases, this equipment must meet vigorous
quality standards to ensure manufacturers meet
proper food handling procedures. Generally,
equipment used in food processing applications serves
one of the following purposes: measurement,
preparation, storage, packaging or cooking.
 MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT

Material handling includes a number of

operations that can be executed either by hand
(manual) or by mechanical means or devices to
convey material and to reduce the human
drudgery.
Pretreatment Unit Operations

At the time of harvest or slaughter, most foods are

likely to contain contaminants, to have components
which are inedible or to have variable physical
characteristics (for example shape, size or color). It
is therefore necessary to perform one or more of
the unit operations of cleaning, sorting, grading or
peeling to ensure that foods with a uniformly high
quality are prepared for subsequent processing.
Equipment for cleaning is categorized into

wet procedures
(for example soaking, spraying, flotation washing and
ultrasonic cleaning)

dry procedures
(separation by air, magnetism or physical methods).
Wet cleaning
Wet cleaning is more effective than dry methods for
removing soil from root crops or dust and pesticide
residues from soft fruits or vegetables. It is also dustless
and causes less damage to foods than dry methods.
Different combinations of detergents and sterilants at
different temperatures allow flexibility in operation.
 PEELING
Peeling is used in the processing of many fruits and
vegetables to remove unwanted or inedible material, and to
improve the appearance of the final product. The methods of
peeling are:

Flash steam peeling The pressure is then instantly

released which causes steam to form under the skin, and
the surface of the food flashes off. Most of the peeled
material is discharged with the steam, and water sprays are
needed only to remove any remaining traces.
Knife peeling Stationary blades are pressed against
the surface of rotating fruits or vegetables to remove
the skin. Alternatively the blades may rotate against
stationary foods. This method is particularly suitable
for citrus fruits where the skin is easily removed and
there is little damage or loss of fruit.
Abrasion peeling Food is fed onto carborundum
rollers or placed into a rotating bowl which is lined with
carborundum. The abrasive surface removes the skin and it is
washed away by a copious supply of water. The advantages
of the method include low energy costs as the process
operates at room temperature, low capital costs, no heat
damage and a good surface appearance of the food. Irregular
product surfaces (for example eyes on potatoes) may mar
the appearance of the peeled product and require hand
finishing.
Flame peeling Developed for onions or
garlic, where the outer layers are burnt off and
the charred skin is removed by high-pressure
hot water
SORTING
Sorting is the separation of foods into categories on the basis
of a measurable physical property. Sorting ensures a uniform
product for subsequent processing. The four main physical
properties used to sort foods are size, shape, weight and
color.
 Shape sorting The shape of some foods is
important in determining their suitability for
processing or their retail value. For example, for
economical peeling, potatoes should have a uniform
oval or round shape without protuberances. Shape
sorting is accomplished either manually or
mechanically.
 Fixed aperture screens Two common types of fixed aperture
screen are the flat bed screen (or sieve) and the drum screen (rotary screen or
reel). The multideck flat bed screen (Figure 5.3) has a number of inclined or
horizontal mesh screens, which have aperture sizes from 20 m to 125 mm,
stacked inside a vibrating frame. Food particles that are smaller than the screen
apertures pass through under gravity until they reach a screen with an aperture
size that retains them. The smallest particles that are separated commercially are
of the order of 50 m.
 Variable-aperture screens Variable-aperture screens have
either a continuously diverging aperture or a stepwise increase in aperture.
Both types handle foods more gently than drum screens and are therefore
used to sort fruits and other foods that are easily damaged. Continuously
variable screens employ pairs of diverging rollers, cables or felt-lined
conveyor belts.
MIXING
Mixing is the dispersing of components, one throughout the other. The mixing of
liquids, solids and gases is one of the commonest of all operations in the food
processing industries. Of the possible combinations of these states, those of principal
interest are liquid/liquid mixtures, solid/solid mixtures, and liquid/solid mixtures or
pastes.

Reasons for mixing are:

to bring about intimate contact between different species in order for a chemical
reaction to occur ; and
to provide a new property of the mixture which was not present in the original
separate components. An example is a food mixture of a given component for
nutritional purposes.
Agitation
The agitation of a liquid is defined as the establishment of a particular flow
pattern within the liquid, usually a circulatory motion within a container.
Mixing is brought about by agitation.

Purposes of agitation Liquids include:

1. Suspending solid particles.

2. Blending miscible liquids, for example, methyl alcohol and water.
3. Dispersing a gas through the liquid in the form of small bubbles.
4. Dispersing a second liquid, immiscible with the first, to form an emulsion or
a suspension of fine drops.
5. Promoting heat transfer between the liquid and a coil or jacket.
AGITATED VESSELS
Liquids are most often agitated in some kind
of tank or vessel, usually cylindrical in form
and with a vertical axis. The top of the
vessel may be open to the air; more usually
it is closed. The proportions of the tank vary
widely, depending on the nature of the
agitation problem.
Mixing of Liquids - Liquid Mixing Equipment

For the deliberate mixing of liquids, the propeller mixer is the

most common and the most satisfactory. In using propeller
mixers, it is important to avoid regular flow patterns such as an
even swirl round a cylindrical tank, which may accomplish
very little mixing. To break up these streamline patterns, baffles
are often fitted, or the propeller may be mounted
asymmetrically.
 FORMING
Forming is a size enlargement operation in which foods
that have a high viscosity or a dough-like texture are
moulded into a variety of shapes and sizes, often
immediately after a mixing operation. It is used as a
processing aid to increase the variety and convenience of
baked goods, confectionery and snack foods. It has no
direct effect on the shelf life or nutritional value of foods.
In high-viscosity liquids, pastes or doughs, a different
action is needed. Here, mixing occurs by:
kneading the material against the vessel wall or into
other material
folding unmixed food into the mixed part
shearing to stretch the material.
Mincing is a food preparation technique in which food ingredients are finely
divided into uniform pieces. Minced food is in smaller pieces than diced or
chopped foods, and is often prepared with a chef's knife or food processor, or in
the case of meat by a specialised meat grinder.

Liquefaction is a term used in materials sciences to refer to any process which either
generates a liquid from a solid or a gas, or generates a non-liquid phase which behaves
in accordance with fluid dynamics.

An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are

normally immiscible (unmixable or unblendable). Examples of emulsions
include vinaigrettes, homogenized milk, mayonnaise.

Cooking or cookery is the art, technology and craft of preparing food for
consumption with or without the use of heat.
Preservation process:
This includes heating or boiling to destroy
micro-organisms, oxidation, toxic inhibition,
dehydration or drying, osmotic inhibition,
freezing, a sort of cold pasteurization which
destroys pathogens and various combinations of
all these methods.
Fermentation
Some foods, such as many cheeses, wines, and beers, use
specific micro-organisms that combat spoilage from other
less-benign organisms. These micro-organisms keep
pathogens in check by creating an environment toxic for
themselves and other micro-organisms by producing acid or
alcohol. Methods of fermentation include, but are not
limited to, starter micro-organisms, salt, hops, controlled
(usually cool) temperatures and controlled (usually low)
levels of oxygen.
Drying:
This is probably the most ancient method used by
humans to preserve or process their food. Drying
reduces the water content in the product and lack of
water delays the bacterial growth very much. Drying is
the most common technique to preserve or process
cereal grains like wheat, maize, oats, rice, barley,
grams and rye etc.
Cooling preserves food by slowing down the growth
and reproduction of microorganisms and the action of
enzymes that causes the food to rot. The introduction
of commercial and domestic refrigerators drastically
improved the diets of many in the Western world by
allowing food such as fresh fruit, salads and dairy
products to be stored safely for longer periods,
particularly during warm weather.
Salting: the method of salting is used
in food processing as it sucks out the
moisture from the food. This is done
through the process of osmosis. Meat is
the best example of the food processed
by salting as nitrates are used very
frequently to treat meat.
Sugaring: the method of using sugar to preserve or
process food is very frequent where it comes to preserve
fruits. In this method fruits such as apples, peaches and
plums are cooked with sugar until they are crystallized and
then it is stored dry.

"Sugar tends to draw water from the microbes

(plasmolysis). This process leaves the microbial cells
dehydrated, thus killing them. In this way, the food will
remain safe from microbial spoilage."
Pickling is the process of preserving or expanding
the lifespan of food by
either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion
in vinegar. The resulting food is called a pickle.The
pickling procedure will typically affect the food's
texture and flavor. In East Asia, vinaigrette (vegetable
oil and vinegar) is also used as a pickling medium.
Foods that are pickled include meats, fruits, eggs, and
vegetables.
Pasteurization is a process that
kills microbes (mainly bacteria)
in food and drink, such as milk, juice, canned
food, and others.

Unlike sterilization, pasteurization is not intended to kill all

microorganisms in the food. Instead, it aims to reduce the
number of viable pathogens so they are unlikely to cause
disease (assuming the pasteurized product is stored as
indicated and is consumed before its expiration date).
Vacuum packs: in this method, food is packed in airtight
bags and bottles in a vacuum area. This method is used in
processing the food as the air-tight environment doesnt
provide oxygen needed by germs especially bacteria to
survive. This then, prevents food from getting rotted. This
method is very commonly used for preserving processed
nuts.

Canning involves cooking food, sealing it in sterilized cans or

jars, and boiling the containers to kill or weaken any remaining
bacteria as a form of sterilization.
Artificial food additives

Preservative food additives can be antimicrobialwhich

inhibit the growth of bacteria or fungi, including mold
or antioxidant, such as oxygen absorbers, which inhibit
the oxidation of food constituents. Common
antimicrobial preservatives include calcium
propionate, sodium nitrate, sodium
nitrite, sulfites (sulfur dioxide, sodium
bisulfite, potassium hydrogen sulfite, etc.), and EDTA.
Irradiation

Irradiation of food[9] is the exposure of food to ionizing

radiation. The two types of ionizing radiation used
are beta particles (high-energy electrons) and gamma
rays (emitted from radioactive sources such as cobalt-
60 or cesium-137). Treatment effects include killing
bacteria, molds, and insect pests, reducing the ripening
and spoiling of fruits, and at higher doses inducing
sterility.
Thank You
God bless all