Raw materials and ingredients in food processing

The raw materials and ingredients used to create a product play an important role in determining the quality of the product and the way this is influenced during processing, storage and distribution. But what determines the properties of the ingredient itself? And how can this be manipulated? Raw materials and ingredients in food processing provides an introduction to the processing functional properties of typical raw materials and ingredients, illustrates how their properties are influenced by their chemistry, and describes how they in turn influence the quality and behaviour of the end product. After a general introduction, the book looks first at selected raw materials (rice, wheat and potatoes) and the basis for the extensive functional variation within these. It then looks at a wide range of ingredients, again illustrating the basis for variations in the processing functionality of these and the way in which this variation can be exploited. Examples covered include fats and fat replacers, gelling agents, proteins, starch and emulsifiers. A final section then looks at how particular ingredients can be used for specific functional purposes, with reference to products such as meringues, bakery products, ice cream and vegetable protein analogues.