Vicente M. Gomez-Lopez

Attempts to provide safer and higher quality fresh and minimally processed produce have given rise to a wide variety of decontamination methods, each of which have been extensively researched in recent years. Decontamination of Fresh and Minimally Processed Produce is the first book to provide a systematic view of the different types of decontaminants for fresh and minimally processed produce. By describing the different effects – microbiological, sensory, nutritional and toxicological – of decontamination treatments, a team of internationally respected authors reveals not only the impact of decontaminants on food safety, but also on microbial spoilage, vegetable physiology, sensory quality, nutritional and phytochemical content and shelf-life. Regulatory and toxicological issues are also addressed. The book first examines how produce becomes contaminated, the surface characteristics of produce related to bacterial attachment, biofilm formation and resistance, and sublethal damage and its implications for decontamination. After reviewing how produce is washed and minimally processed, the various decontamination methods are then explored in depth, in terms of definition, generation devices, microbial inactivation mechanisms, and effects on food safety. Decontaminants covered include: chlorine, electrolyzed oxidizing water, chlorine dioxide, ozone, hydrogen peroxide, peroxyacetic acid, essential oils and edible films and coatings. Other decontamination methods addressed are biological strategies (bacteriophages, protective cultures, bacteriocins and quorum sensing) and physical methods (mild heat, continuous UV light, ionizing radiation) and various combinations of these methods through hurdle technology. The book concludes with descriptions of post-decontamination methods related to storage, such as modified atmosphere packaging, the cold chain, and modeling tools for predicting microbial growth and inactivation. The many methods and effects of decontamination are detailed, enabling industry professionals to understand the available state-of-the-art methods and select the most suitable approach for their purposes. The book serves as a compendium of information for food researchers and students of pre- and postharvest technology, food microbiology and food technology in general. The structure of the book allows easy comparisons among methods, and searching information by microorganism, produce, and quality traits.

Decontamination of Fresh and Minimally Processed Produce

Rajeev Bhat

The past few years have witnessed an upsurge in incidencesrelating to food safety issues, which are all attributed todifferent factors. Today, with the increase in knowledge andavailable databases on food safety issues, the world is witnessingtremendous efforts towards the development of new, economical andenvironmentally-friendly techniques for maintaining the quality ofperishable foods and agro-based commodities. The intensification offood safety concerns reflects a major global awareness of foods inworld trade. Several recommendations have been put forward byvarious world governing bodies and committees to solve food safetyissues, which are all mainly targeted at benefiting consumers. Inaddition, economic losses and instability to a particular nation orregion caused by food safety issues can be huge. Various‘non-dependent’ risk factors can be involved withregard to food safety in a wide range of food commodities such asfresh fruits, vegetables, seafood, poultry, meat and meat products.Additionally, food safety issues involves a wide array of issuesincluding processed foods, packaging, post-harvest preservation,microbial growth and spoilage, food poisoning, handling at themanufacturing units, food additives, presence of banned chemicalsand drugs, and more. Rapid change in climatic conditions is alsoplaying a pivotal role with regard to food safety issues, andincreasing the anxiety about our ability to feed the worldsafely. Practical Food Safety: Contemporary Issues and FutureDirections takes a multi-faceted approach to the subject offood safety, covering various aspects ranging from microbiologicalto chemical issues, and from basic knowledge to futureperspectives. This is a book exclusively designed to simultaneouslyencourage consideration of the present knowledge and futurepossibilities of food safety. This book also covers the classictopics required for all books on food safety, and encompasses themost recent updates in the field. Leading researchers haveaddressed new issues and have put forth novel research findingsthat will affect the world in the future, and suggesting how theseshould be faced. This book will be useful for researchers engaged in the field offood science and food safety, food industry personnel engaged insafety aspects, and governmental and non-governmental agenciesinvolved in establishing guidelines towards establishing safetymeasures for food and agricultural commodities.

Vicente M. Gomez-Lopez

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