Food Technology
Summary
Food technology encompasses the science and engineering of processes for transforming raw agricultural materials into safe, nutritious and appealing products. From traditional methods such as fermentation, drying and curing to advanced techniques including high-pressure homogenisation, membrane separations, microwave and ultrasonic treatments, the field seeks to improve shelf life, preserve sensory and nutritional qualities and enhance resource efficiency. Parallel advances in packaging—from biodegradable biopolymers to nanostructured coatings and active-sensor technologies—aim to reduce waste, extend freshness and deliver real-time quality monitoring. Integrative approaches now couple digital control, data analytics and biotechnology to optimise formulations, processing conditions and supply-chain traceability. In an era of rising demand, rapid urbanisation and sustainability goals, food technology plays a pivotal role in ensuring global food security, meeting consumer preferences and minimising environmental impact.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Investigations of fatty acid composition in retail biscuits revealed that palmitic acid dominates both packaged and unpackaged products, while peroxide and free-fatty-acid values remained within acceptable limits even after three months’ storage. This study highlights the importance of raw-material selection and monitoring lipid oxidation for baked-goods quality.
A study of starch-based films plasticised with glycerol demonstrated that increasing glycerol concentration enhanced flexibility and water vapour permeability but reduced tensile strength and modulus. These findings offer guidelines for tailoring the mechanical and barrier properties of biodegradable packaging derived from arrowroot starch.
Research on transparent barrier coatings prepared by bar-coating food-safe layered double hydroxide nanosheet dispersions onto PET films showed reductions in oxygen transmission rate (OTR) and water-vapour transmission rate (WVTR) to near instrument detection limits. The resulting films remained mechanically robust and recyclable, promising scalable solutions for high-barrier flexible packaging.
Research from all publishers
A valorisation study applied supercritical CO₂ and ultrasound to corn silk by-products, yielding polyphenol-rich extracts that, when added to edible oils at low parts-per-million levels, significantly inhibited lipid peroxidation and extended oxidative stability under accelerated ageing tests.
In the realm of renewable packaging, multiphase alginate-based materials hybridised with cellulose nanocrystals and graphene demonstrated enhanced tensile strength, reduced water vapour permeability and tunable antioxidant release profiles. Processing via solution casting, spinning and thermomechanical treatments allowed precise control of film microstructure and functionality.
Ultra-shear processing of dairy-pea protein dispersions at 400 MPa produced formulations spanning shear-thinning liquids to gelled networks, depending on fat content. High-fat blends formed soft gels, while skim and raw mixes yielded sub-10 µm droplets and stable emulsions. The approach offers a continuous route to high-stability protein beverages and blended liquid foods.
Food Technology publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in food technology across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Lipid oxidation: Degradation of fats by reactive oxygen species, leading to rancidity and off-flavours.
Oxidative stability: Resistance of oils or fats to chemical degradation over time under given conditions.
Plasticiser: A small molecule added to polymers to increase flexibility and reduce brittleness.
Barrier performance: The ability of packaging material to resist gas or vapour transmission and protect contents.
High-pressure homogenisation: A non-thermal process applying pressures up to 600 MPa to reduce particle size, inactivate microbes and improve stability.
Alginate: A biopolymer extracted from seaweed that forms gels and films upon ionic crosslinking with calcium.
Ultra-shear technology: A form of high-pressure homogenisation at elevated temperatures for continuous, fine emulsification.
References
- Overview on the Food Industry and Its Advancement.
- Fatty acid profiling and oxidative stability of biscuits available in the market of the city of Ludhiana, India. Scientific Reports (2023).
- Effect of glycerol plasticizer loading on the physical, mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties of arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea) starch biopolymers. Scientific Reports (2021).
- High gas barrier coating using non-toxic nanosheet dispersions for flexible food packaging film. Nature Communications (2019).
- Valorization and characterization of corn by-product polyphenols through green extraction technologies. Frontiers in Nutrition (2023).
- Alginate-based materials: Enhancing properties through multiphase formulation design and processing innovation. Materials Science and Engineering R Reports (2024).
- Impact of ultra-shear technology on quality attributes of model dairy-pea protein dispersions with different fat levels. Current Research in Food Science (2023).
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