Elsevier Chilled Foods: A Comprehensive Guide (Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition)

The key requirements for chilled food products are good quality and microbiological safety at the point of consumption. The first edition of Chilled foods quickly established itself as the standard work on these issues for all those involved this important sector. This third edition strengthens that reputation. This latest edition has been extensively revised, with entirely new chapters on raw materials, the operation of chilled food manufacturing plants, non-microbial hazards such as allergens, predictive microbiology, shelf-life, management of product safety and quality and packaging. Greater input has been sought from those in the chilled food industry to increase the publication s relevance to practitioners. Key Features: reviews key trends and influences in the chilled food market; explores the importance of raw material selection and packaging materials in final product quality; discusses technologies and processes in the supply chain, focusing on refrigeration, storage and transport; investigates microbiological hazards including predictive microbiology and conventional and rapid analytical microbiology. Contents: Part 1 Raw materials and products: Raw material selection: fruit, vegetables and cereals; Raw material selection: dairy ingredients; Raw material selection: meat and poultry; Raw material selection: fish; Non-microbial factors affecting quality and safety; Chilled foods packaging: an introduction; Modified atmosphere and active packaging of chilled foods. Part 2 Technologies and processes in the supply chain: Microbiological hazards and safe design; Non-microbiological hazards and safe process design; The hygienic design of chilled food plants and equipment; Cleaning and disinfection of chilled food plants and equipment; Operation of plants manufacturing chilled foods; Refrigeration, storage and transport of chilled foods; Temperature monitoring and measurement. Part 3 Microbiological hazards: Chilled foods microbiology; Predicting the behaviour of micro-organisms in chilled foods; Conventional and rapid analytical microbiology. Part 4 Safety and quality management: Shelf-life of chilled foods; Sensory quality and consumer acceptability; Management of product quality and safety; Legislation and criteria.