Food Production Technologies

Production Technologies

Technologies and Industrialization

• Industrialization introduced new technologies in food processing and production.
• These technologies enabled faster food processing rates as workers used machines to speed up production.
• As technology advanced, equipment became more automated.
• Food producers could mass produce for a global market.
• Innovations allowed more food to be produced on the same amount of land.

Crop Rotation

• Fields are divided into four parts.
• Four different crops are grown in each field.
• After each season, farmers move each crop to the next field.
• A particular variety and sequence is required.
• For example, after harvesting a crop that absorbs nitrogen, farmers plant a crop that returns nitrogen, such as legumes.

The Combine Harvester

• Completes three functions of harvesting grain:
  • Reaping: collecting the crop
  • Threshing: removing the edible part of the grain from the stalk
  • Winnowing: removing the grain from the chaff

The Seed Drill

• Drilled a hole.
• Dropped a seed.
• Covered the seed.
• All in one action.
• Made planting quicker and easier.

Canning and Preservation

• Advances in agriculture led to more food production, increasing food waste.
• Early preservation techniques: drying, freezing, salting, and smoking.
• Canning became the first major industrial form of preservation.
• Developed in 1809, Napoleon offered a cash reward for a way to preserve food.
• Nicolas Appert discovered that heating food in sealed glass bottles preserved it (won the money).
• Canning was refined and became popular.
• Nestle and Heinz began developing new canned products.

Refrigeration

• Ancient civilizations preserved food in snow, ice, caves, lakes, streams, and wells.
• 1700s: people started using ice boxes (boxes with ice).
• 1740s: early refrigeration system developed.
• 1805: first refrigerator designed but not built until 1844.
• Late 1800s: refrigeration used by meat and brewing companies.
• 1920s: started being used in homes.

Pasteurization

• In 1864, Louis Pasteur discovered heating beer to a specific temperature over a short time killed microbes that made it go bad.
• Over time, beer, wine, milk, and other foods were pasteurized to increase shelf life.

Globalization

Globalization has allowed for:

• Integration of local and national economies, industries, and food systems.
• Movement of goods and services.
• Greater diversity and availability of food products.
• Improved ways to transport and store foods.