Specification Packaging & Preservation Methods

What are specifications?

• need to have specifications during the purchasing process as they are written descriptions of the material that need to be purchase

What does a specification include?

• item name (generic vs. brand)

• form (weight, size, packaging, cut, etc)

• quantity/pricing unit

• quality (minimum acceptable characteristics)

• and more….

What are different factors that go into/tell us about the quality of a food?

1. brand names

2. government grades

3. detailed descriptions

What are additional specification information?

• portion size

• syrup density

• concentration or specific gravity

• percent mixture

• pure or imitation

• packing medium

• weight tolerance or fill

• cut

• cutting style

• depth of fat permitted

• gender

• feed

• condition upon receipt

What are the advantages of food preservation?

• use out of season foods

• retain higher vitamin and mineral levels

• convenience

• high in flavor

What are different types of early food preservation methods?

• salting

• brining/pickling

• preserves

• drying

• smoking

• fermentation (ex: wine and yogurt)

What are two different general food preservation methods?

1. heat preservation

2. cold preservation

What are different type of heat preservation methods?

1. pasteurization

2. canning

3. aseptic packaging

What are the different temperatures used for pasteurization?

• still need to be refrigerated

What are the temperatures required for ultra high temperatures?

• dont need to be refrigerated

What is canning?

• heat can under steam and pressure

  • time and temperature used depends on the food ingredients

• shelf life ~ 2 years

What are the most common types of cans used in FS?

• #10 often used

What is head space?

gap between the lid and the product

What is swelling?

• “breather”: break on the seal or side and so it has air get into the can, allowing for bacterial contamination

• “puffer”: both sides are puffed up

• “springer”: only one end is puffed up

What is AQL?

Acceptable Quality Level

• only allowed to have so much product in a can

What is aseptic packaging?

packaging that has been sterilized under ultra high temperature (> 280F/135C)

• tetra brik: own patent on UHT (ultra high temperature)

• recyclable (some places do, some dont)

what are two different types of cold preservation methods?

1. refrigeration

2. freezing

Characteristics of freezing foods?

• easy and cost effective

• stop microbial growth

• retains nutritional value

• packing medium (what things are packed in, ex: water, brine, sugar pack, syrup pack, dry pack, tray pack, and unsweetened pack)

What are three different types of freezing methods?

1. conventional freezing method

2. air blown method

3. cryogenic rapid freezing

What is the conventional freezing method?

contact method that can make use of blast chillers so that it quickly freezes

• place items between metal plates at - 40F

• OR

• place on trays and use blast air at 0-40F

What is the air blown method?

• individually quick frozen on a wire mesh conveyer belt using an air blower at 0 - 40F

• tumbled

• aka IQF (individually quick frozen)

What is cryogenic rapid freezing?

• makes use of liquid nitrogen at -320 F OR can use dry ice (CO2) at -109F

• used mostly for delicate fruits and vegetable

• looks fresh when servings but can deteriorate quickly (changes mouthfeel, nutrition is fine)

What are some characteristics of the nutrient value of frozen foods?

• same nutrient value as fresh foods

• can have added sugar or salt

• makes use of blanching (brief partial cooking)

Why is blanching done to food before it is frozen?

helps to:

• clean

• deactivate enzymes

• brightens colors

• assists with peeling

Besides changing the temperature, what are three other preservation methods?

1. irradiation

2. ozonation

3. vacuum packaging

What is irradiation?

• sterilizes fruits/veggies with ionizing radiation

• destroys parasites, insects, and bacteria

• slow ripening and prevents sprouting

• flavor and texture are not affected

• classified as a food additive by the FDA and requires its own irradiation symbol

• commonly used for dried spices and herbs

• GRAS

What is ozone processing?

• ozone = O3

• mixed with water and results in anti-microbial properties

• increases shelf life of fresh foods

• used in processing produce, meat, and poultry

What are the three different types of vacuum packaging?

1. vacuum packing (sealing)

2. modified atmosphere packaging (MAP: remove oxygen, replace with nitrogen so that you prevent oxidation)

3. Cryovac Barrier Bags: thick bags

What are some advantages of dried foods?

• take up less space

• save on packaging/shipping

• unique texture and taste

What are the three different methods we can use to dry foods?

1. sun drying

2. air drying

3. oven drying

Characteristics of sun drying.

• slow process, can sometimes take weeks

• pests are a concern

Characteristics of air drying.

• food dryers operate at a lower temperature than an oven

What are some characteristics of oven drying?

• faster

• more reliable

• larger volume can be dried

What are the steps involved in smoking foods?

• brining/salting/curing

• air drying

• smoking slowly over smoldering fuel

  • hot and cold smoking methods exists

What is the purpose of commercial packaging?

• barrier against dirt

• prevent loss of moisture

• protect from damage and pests

• protects during transport

• marketing

What are different types of packaging?

• flexible

• semi-flexible

• fiber

• paper

• metal

• plastic

  

• wood

What does the USDA classify as organic?

products produced under the authority of the Organic Foods Production Act

• foods are produced without using most conventional pesticides, petroleum, or sewage-sludge-based fertilizer, bioengineering, or ionizing radiation

• farms tend to be inspected by the USDA

What are the different levels of organic stuff?

• 100% organic

• organic

• made with organic ingredients

• less than 70% organic ingredients

What does it mean when something is 100% organic?

What does it mean when something is organic?

What does it mean when something is made with organic ingredients?

What does it mean when something is less than 70% organic ingredients?