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Thermal treatments of various time–temperature combinations are commonly applied in the food industry for the inactivation or decrease in number of microorganisms in order to manufacture safe products with a long shelf-life. Food processing involves unit operations of heating (e.g. cooking, boiling, blanching) as well as final heat treatments such as pasteurization and sterilization. This chapter outlines the fundamentals of thermal death of microorganisms on which the processes of thermal treatment are based. The first part discusses the kinetics of thermal destruction and heat resistance of microorganisms. Conventional thermal treatments with high temperatures such as widely applied for sterilization in canning, and factors influencing thermal treatment and the concept of commercial sterility will be described. The next part will deal with the methods of milder heat treatment for pasteurization of products often used in combination with additional measures of preservation. The final part of the chapter is devoted to novel non-conventional methods of heat treatment applying electrical techniques to generate heat instead using the traditional wet steam. Combined and non-conventional thermal treatments are being developed to meet consumers’ demand for better preserving natural quality foods while assuring safety. Understanding these concepts is essential for designing and validating measures for the control of biological hazards.

While introducing the principles and processes of industrial-level food canning, the volume clarifies the effects of microorganisms, their ecology, fate, and prevention in canning operations, as well as in other thermal processing techniques, such as aseptic packaging. It covers microbial spoilage and detection for vegetables, fruits, milk, meat and seafood from the raw food materials through individual unit operations, facility sanitation, and packaging. It thus offers a practical introduction to understanding, preventing and destroying microbe-based hazards in food plants that use thermal processes to preserve and package foods. The text surveys major spoilage and pathogenic microbes of interest, explaining their toxicity, product and safety effects, and the conditions of their destruction by heat treatment.

Far more than a simple update and revision, the Handbook of Food Spoilage Yeasts, Second Edition extends and restructures its scope and content to include important advances in the knowledge of microbial ecology, molecular biology, metabolic activity, and strategy for the prohibition and elimination of food borne yeasts. The author incorporates new

Far more than a simple update and revision, the Handbook of Food Spoilage Yeasts, Second Edition extends and restructures its scope and content to include important advances in the knowledge of microbial ecology, molecular biology, metabolic activity, and strategy for the prohibition and elimination of food borne yeasts. The author incorporates new insights in taxonomy and phylogeny, detection and identification, and the physiological and genetic background of yeast stress responses, and introduces novel and improved processing, packaging, and storage technologies. Including 30 new tables, 40 new figures, 20 percent more species, and more than 2000 references, this second edition provides an unparalleled overview of spoilage yeasts, delivering comprehensive coverage of the biodiversity and ecology of yeasts in a wide variety food types and commodities. Beginning with photographic examples of morphological and phenotypic characteristics, the book considers changes in taxonomy and outlines ecological factors with new sections on biofilms and interactions. It examines the yeast lifecycle, emphasizing kinetics and predictive modeling as well as stress responses; describes the regulation of metabolic activities; and looks at traditional and alternative methods for the inhibition and inactivation of yeasts. The book introduces molecular techniques for identification, enumeration, and detection and points to future developments in these areas. An entirely new chapter explores novel industrial applications of yeasts in food fermentation and biotechnology. Providing a practical guide to understanding the ecological factors governing the activities of food borne yeasts, Handbook of Food Spoilage Yeasts, Second Edition lays the foundation for improved processing technologies and more effective preservation and fermentation of food and beverage products.