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

• place items between metal plates at - 40F

• OR

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

What is the air blown method?

• instnat freeze