opportunities to food process engineering research community. The world population is ... help consumers gain trust with newly developed technological solu-.
DOI: 10.1111/jfpe.12674
EDITORIAL
Food process engineering future looking bright!!! Greetings fellow food process engineers!!!
about 600 million adults were obese. As a result, the society is faced
It is my distinct honor and privilege to write this editorial as the
with seemingly contradictory challenges including food security, obe-
incoming editor of Journal of Food Process Engineering (JFPE). I along
sity, and malnutrition. Global adaptation of social media tools also
with a team of five associate editors and editorial board members will
began to reshape consumer perceptions on health and wellness, the
be assuming the journal editorial responsibility by January 2018
role processed food can play in their wellbeing. Consumers now expect
onwards. We plan to use this column for sharing some of our team’s
the food and beverages as a source for heath promoting nutrients and
thoughts and perspectives. When relevant, we will invite experts to
seek foods free from artificial additives. Consumption of more fruits
contribute to guest commentary of topics of interest to food process
and vegetable products have been encouraged by policy makers to
engineering community.
reduce risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Consumers seek foods that are produced using environmentally friendly, sustainable
LONG TRADITION
food manufacturing technologies that help to reduce food waste and better utilize scarce natural resources such as water.
JFPE, over the 40 years, published various original research articles
Food process engineers and scientists play an important role in
that focused on food process engineering aspects of food preservation,
developing innovative multidisciplinary solutions that addresses the
packaging, handling, storage, and distribution of food. The first issue
societal challenges. Effective solutions can be developed by integrating
came out in 1977 and published by Food and Nutrition Press with
scientific advances in food engineering with microbiology, chemistry,
Prof. Dennis R. Heldman as the founding editor. Subsequently Prof.
and nutrition concepts. Collaborative team effort among different disci-
Paul Singh joined the team. Together they laid the foundation for the
plinary experts is critical for ensuring successful outcome. Representa-
JFPE as the first international journal dedicated to address food pro-
tive research opportunities are listed below.
cess engineering related topics. Journal attracted research papers that contributed for the advancement of various food manufacturing proc-
Alternate food processing technologies: Advances in engineering scien-
esses including thermal processing, cooling and freezing, and dehydra-
ces enabled the food process engineers now use advanced thermal
tion of foods. Professors M. Elena Castell-Perez and Rosana Moreira
(electrical resistance, microwave, and radio frequency) and nonther-
assumed editorship by January 2005 with Willey Black Publishers as
mal (high pressure, pulsed electric field, irradiation, UV, ultrasound,
the publisher. Prof. Castell-Perez and Moreira along with editorial
cold plasma) lethal agents to inactivate harmful microorganisms with
board have guided the journal since then. Our heartfelt appreciation
minimal or reduced impact on product quality and nutrition. We are
for all of their dedicated leadership and service. Finally, I would like to
beginning to understand how selected combinations of lethal agents
thank our anonymous pool of reviewers, backbone of any scientific
impact food, biological and packaging material for the development
journal, who selflessly volunteer many hours of their time to constructively check and strengthen scientific quality of published research papers. We look forward to have your continued support in the coming years. In the following sections, I would like to share my perspectives on some of the future opportunities for the journal. These are my perspective only, but love to hear from readers on your thoughts on how we can make JFPE support your scientific pursuit and information
of healthy, nutritious foods. Alternative technologies were initially investigated for their potential as food safety technologies. However, versatile nature of some of technologies also provide opportunities for food engineers and scientists to develop number of other innovative food processing applications—for example, application of high pressure or pulsed electric field processing on food component extraction or textural modification of plant and animal tissues. More
dissemination.
systematic studies are necessary to quantify bioaccessibility and/or bioavailability of nutrients in foods treated by various combinations
EXPANDING RESEARCH SCOPE
of alternative processing technologies. Advent of new millennium brought complex challenges and exciting
Mathematical modeling: With advances computational techniques
opportunities to food process engineering research community. The
and wide spread availability of computers with high computing
world population is expected to reach about 9.7 billion by 2050 from a
power enabled the food process engineers to readily utilize various
current value of 7.3 billion. According to 2015 Food and Agriculture
mathematical models for food process design, validation, and optimi-
Organization, about 815 million people were undernourished while
zation. Particularly, multiphysics modeling approach can be
J Food Process Eng. 2018;41:e12674. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpe.12674
wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jfpe
C 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. V
|
1 of 2
2 of 2
|
EDITORIAL
employed in development and characterization of various alternative
principles. More research in this domain can help designing novel
food processing technologies.
food formulations, functional foods and targeted delivery, and
Kinetic modeling: Classical kinetic modeling approach often built
absorption of nutrients.
using single-response studies under controlled conditions. With
Sensors in food manufacturing: Advances in sensor technologies (e.g.,
advances in scientific instrumental analysis tools, it is now possible
nanosensor, biosensor, optical sensors) are being incorporated in
to evaluate the food process parameters impact on targeted and
food manufacturing, handling, storage, and distribution operations.
untargeted nutrients and food quality attributes. This information
Wide range of sensors are being developed for potential applications
can be subsequently modeled using multivariate, fingerprint kinetic
in process monitoring, pathogen detection, identification and
approach. They can help to provide mechanistic and quantitative
removal of food contaminants, shelf life and spoilage evaluation, and
insight on how different process variables influence food quality
quality control.
attributes. Application of nanotechnology: Food process engineers are also active in researching to understand the advantages and limitations of incor-
Journals such as JFPE can play key role in disseminating scientifically credible, peer-reviewed publications, which subsequently help the food
porating nanomaterials in the food systems. This include develop-
industry and regulators to make informed decisions. Timely dissemina-
ment of nanoscale processes and packaging materials with enhanced
tion of information can help to coordinate worldwide development of
delivery of nutrients and sensory attributes. Concepts of nanotech-
the research and facilitate knowledge transfer into industrial practice.
nology can be utilized for encapsulation and delivery of various natu-
Well scrutinized, transparent, peer-review journal publications can also
ral anti-microbiological or flavor compounds. Nanoparticles can be
help consumers gain trust with newly developed technological solu-
blend into packaging film for improving barrier properties and reduc-
tions, addressing the societal needs. We look forward to receive and
ing food spoilage.
publish your innovative, high impact, scholarly research publications!
Application of engineering principles to food digestion: Research is currently underway to understand the transformation the food is undergoing in gastrointestinal tract using various food process engineering
V. M. “Bala” Balasubramaniam Editor-in-Chief
