ABSTRACT
The field of food engineering has developed over the past
100 years to help food processors apply scientific food
processing findings to the cost effective manufacturing of
safe, nutritious foods with extended shelf lives. The growth
of cities during the late 1800s and the concentration of
production agriculture in geographic areas removed from
consuming populations, such as Australia, created an
incentive for processed foods capable of being transported
around the world. Because processed foods can provide a
safe, year-round, nutritious food supply, the food engineer
has assumed greater and greater responsibility for devel-
oping processing methods that deliver these qualities.
Increasing disposable income and opportunities for educa-
tion, travel, and leisure have fostered the increasing use of
packaged, convenient, prepared foods. The food proces-
sing industry has responded with convenient packaging,
automation, high-speed materials handling, and by pio-
neering statistical quality control. Food engineers are
now deeply involved in the hazard analysis of critical
control points (HACCP) and understanding the kinetics
of microbial growth and inactivation by heat, radiation,
chemical preservatives, high pressure, and other non-
thermal technologies.
