Effect of temperature and water concentration during processing on food quality

Water content and temperature during food processing have a pronounced influence on the rates of those changes in food properties which are the object of the process such as reduction in water content or sterilization. However, they also strongly influence adverse side effects such as browning, loss of nutrients or shrinking. When the effects of temperature and water concentration on the process rates of the desired and adverse processes are known, the processes can be optimized. An example of the optimization procedure is given for the spray drying of heat‐labile aroma containing liquid foods. Both temperature and moisture content of the droplets change with time in spray‐drying. In a second example a new and simple calculation method is introduced for the optimization of quality retention in the sterilization of packed foods.