What is Food Technology
учебно-методический материал

What is food technology?

Food technology is the study of how different foods can be used and made into food products.

Before they are ready to be sold in the shops, food products go through a series of tests and studies to make sure that they are:

• safe to eat;
• good to eat;
• easy to use;
• well packaged;
• a reasonable price.

The food industry

The food industry is very large and includes:

• food producers (people who grow food);
• food manufacturers (people who make food products);
• food distributors (people who supply foods to shops, restaurants, schools, hospitals);
• food retailers (people who sell food);
• food providers (people who cook and sell food in restaurants, canteens, etc.)

People have been growing, making and selling food to other people for hundreds of years, but it was during the 20th century that the food industry became very large. Why did this happen? What were the consequences of the growth of the food industry?

This happened because:

1. Governments encouraged farmers to grow more food.
2. Transport by land, sea and air became easier.
3. There was the growth of technology.

The consequences are the following:

1. Many foods became cheaper and easier for people to buy. But: This resulted in environmental damage and big changes to the countryside (loss of hedgerows, ponds and woodland and other natural habitats for wildlife).

2. People travelled abroad and tried food from other countries. Food growth in one country could be sent to another country and arrive there in good condition. People used cars to buy their food from supermarkets. But: This resulted in air pollution and less exercise for people; opening foreign restaurants and selling foreign food in shops; the opportunity for people to eat some food (e.g. strawberries) all year round.

3. Food could be grown and harvested on large scale using machinery. New food products were invented, e.g. low-fat spreads, breakfast cereals, instant puddings. New ways of preventing food from ‘going off’ (preserving food) could be used, e.g. UHT milk, frozen food, vacuum packaging. But: This resulted in less need for working on farms; having more choices for people; less need for food shopping.

2. Find in the text word combinations:

Готовы к продаже; проходят через серию исследований; убедиться; выращивать продукты; поставлять продукты в магазины; продавать продукты; готовить еду; пищевая отрасль; последствия роста; побуждать фермеров; рост технологий; как итог этого; предотвращать порчу еды; замороженные продукты; прибывать в хороших условиях; становиться дешевле; меньшая потребность.

3.Explain the term:

• instant pudding
• UHT milk
• low-fat spread

Food science

Some foods can be eaten raw, while others are cooked to make them easier and nicer to eat. Some foods are mixed with other foods to make a different food product.

Food science is the study of what happens to foods when they are cut, whisked, melted, frozen, cooked, left in the open air, or mixed with other foods. Some changes to foods can be seen with the naked eyes, some cannot.

Understanding how foods change will help you to understand what has happened if your cooking goes wrong and to design new food products.

Foods to suit different needs

Lots of research has been carried out to find out the best way to enjoy a healthy life. Food is a vital part of our lives and much of our time is spent on its preparation. The current advice for people who want to stay healthy is:

 Eat less sugar and sugary food.

 Eat less fat – especially solid fats from animals.

 Eat less salt and salty foods.

 Drink less alcohol.

 Eat more dietary fibre and starchy foods.

 Eat lots of fruit and vegetables – at least 5 portions a day – fresh, frozen or canned.

 Eat a mixture of foods.

 Enjoy your food.

 Try to stay at a healthy weight.

 Be more active, e.g. walk, rather than ride in a car; use the stair, not the lift or escalator; take up a sport such as swimming or football; don‘t spend too much time sitting in front of the TV or playing computer games.

There is now a great variety of foods to choose from in the shops, thanks to advances in food production, technology, transport, and storage. In our multicultural society many foods are imported from overseas. Foreign restaurants and take-away food shops have also contributed to the change in eating habits.

Food production and the environment

The environment

In Britain in the 20th century, the problems of food storage during the Second World War and concerns about growing populations made the government encourage farmers to grow more and more food. To do this, farmers have used lots of input, such as:

 chemicals to kill insects, animals, weeds and diseases

 chemical fertilizers to put nutrients back into the soil

 man-made, enriched animal feeds to make animals grow quickly and cheaply

 antibiotics and other medicines to prevent disease and make animals grow quickly

 tractors and farm machinery to do jobs quickly and with fewer people and working animals.

Many inputs and modern farming methods have had very serious and long-term effects on the environment, including:

 hedgerows, ponds, woodlands, rainforests and other natural habitats have been destroyed to make way for big fields and plantations for crops, and grazing land for animals;

 soils have had water, nutrients, and goodness taken out of them, and replaced;

 waterways (rivers, streams, lakes, ponds and seas) have been polluted with pesticides, fertilizers and animal waste;

 many types of insects, birds, fish and other animals have died out because they either have been poisoned by chemicals or have lost their natural food sources or habitats;

 important materials, like oil and minerals, have been taken from the Earth. They are non-renewable.

People have also been affected, because:

 there are not so many jobs available in farming as there are fewer (but larger) farms, and much of the work is done by machines, not people;

 many rural (countryside) communities have disappeared as farms have done;

 they have become ill, because of farm chemicals in their food or drinking water;

 intensive farming (where lots of animals are kept together inside in small places) has led to disease passing from one animal to another, and sometimes to humans.

Food manufacturers have also had a big impact on the environment, because:

 they use lots of non-renewable energy sources to produce, store and distribute their lorry;

 they use lots of packaging materials, for example paper, plastics, card,  

metal and glass, which use energy to make and end up as rubbish, which has to be disposed of.

One of the causes of environmental pollution is the transport of food from the farm to the consumer‘s home, which may involve ships, aeroplanes, lorries and cars. Some people have called this food ‘miles‘, and some foods travel very long distances.

One of the reasons for this is that large supermarket companies use big distribution warehouses, to which food products are sent. They are then sent out from there to individual supermarkets. Another reason is that consumers have become used to having different foods available all year round, so many have to be imported by air or sea from all over the world.

Preventing damage to the environment

There are many ways in which food producers, manufacturers, retailers and consumers can help to prevent damage to the environment:

Producers

It is possible for farmers to produce food without using chemical inputs or medicines. They can do this by:

 keeping the soil in good condition by using natural fertilizers such as manure;

 growing a different crop on the same piece of land each year, and then letting the land rest for a year (called crop rotation)

 using other insects to control insects that damage crops;

 removing weeds by hand or by machines;

 growing crops that suit local conditions, such as soil, weather and rainfall;

 allowing animals to live as naturally as possible.

This type of farming is called organic farming. The food produced is, as far as possible, free from added chemicals. Recent food scares and concern about health and the environment have encouraged a growing number of farmers to convert to organic farming. Organic food usually costs more to produce and buy, but as demand grows, prices should gradually come down.

Designing food products

A recipe is a list of ingredients and instructions for making the ingredients into a food product. All over the world, thousands of recipes have been invented over the years, and many of these have become part of the traditional food culture of different countries. in modern food technology, a recipe is often called the ‘product specification‘, and ingredients may be called ‘components‘. Food manufacturers design and use specifications for each product they make.

All food products are made from one of a number of basic recipes. They can be divided into the following groups: sauces; cakes and biscuits; pastries; stews, casseroles, soups, curries; fried food; breads; cereal products; pies, patties, flans, tarts, parcels; confectionery; desserts, puddings; drinks (beverages).

Adapting food products

It may sometimes be necessary to adapt (change) the recipe of a food product for a number of reasons:

 to make it more suitable for people wanting to follow healthy eating guidelines, for example by reducing the sugar content;

 to produce another product in the same range, but with a different flavour or texture;

 to give a product a new image;

 to find a new target group for the product;

 to reduce the cost of the product;

 to find an alternative for an ingredient that is becoming difficult to obtain.

Most recipes can be adapted by:

 replacing one or more of the ingredients with another;

 replacing or increasing the amount of one or more of the ingredients;

 using a different additive, for example, a colouring or a flavouring.

Changing a recipe in some way may cause problems, for example:

 it may affect the shelf-life of the product;

 it may affect how acceptable it is to customers.

Processing and cooking food

What is processing?

‘Processing‘ means making a series of changes to something. Food processing changes some of the features of foods, including:

 how long they stay in a good and safe condition;

 their colour, texture, flavour, appearance;

 how long they take to prepare and cook;

 how easy and convenient they are to use.

Food processing has enabled the food industry to develop new products by:

 Making it possible to make several new products out of one food. For example, potatoes can be turned into chips, crisps, instant mashed potatoes, potato salad, canned potatoes, oven-baked shaped potato pieces, potato waffles.

 Making it possible to make products that are of the same standard and quality every time, so that consumers know what to expect and will buy them again.

Making it possible to make foods aesthetically pleasing.

How are foods processed?

There are a number of processes that are carried out in the kitchen as well as in industry. These include:

 trimming (e.g. vegetables, fish, meat);

 peeling, coring, slicing, chopping, mincing, grating (e.g. fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, cheese, nuts);

 sieving, separating, crushing, rolling (e.g. flour, sugar, biscuits, spices, pastry, icing);

 whisking, mixing, beating, combining (e.g. cake, biscuit, bread and eggs mixtures, soups);

 grilling, frying, baking, roasting, boiling, steaming, microwaving, poaching, stewing, simmering;

 preserving by freezing, pickling or adding sugar or salt.

In industry, processes that require specialist equipment and knowledge are also carried out.

Keeping food products safe to eat

Every year, thousands of people suffer from food poisoning. Food poisoning is caused by toxins, which are produced in the food by tiny forms of life called micro-organisms. There are three main types of micro-organisms:

 bacteria;

 moulds;

 yeasts.

Not all bacteria, moulds and yeasts are harmful. Some are used in foods. For example, bacteria are used to make yogurt, moulds are used to make some cheeses, and yeast is used to make bread. Harmful micro-organisms are called pathogenic micro-organisms or pathogens.

Micro-organisms are very small and they are found in many different places, for example water, air, soil, dust, skin, the nose, throat and mouth, sewage, rubbish, animals, foods. This means that they can easily contaminate food.

If micro-organisms are given the right conditions – i.e. temperature, moisture and food – they will grow and multiply quickly. As they do so, they produce toxins, which can make people very sick if they eat food. Very perishable foods are the most likely to be contaminated by micro-organisms and associated with food poisoning.

Although it is often impossible to see whether food has been contaminated with bacteria, it is usually possible to see moulds. Yeasts often ferment foods (break down the sugars in them to CO2 gas and alchohol), so that the food tastes ‘fizzy‘ and ‘off‘.

Food poisoning caused by bacteria include E.Coli 0157, Salmonella and Campylobacter.

Keeping the food industry safe

To help make sure that the food we eat is safe, the food industry has to follow certain rules and regulations. These rules are contained in the Food Safety Act 1990, which covers all aspects of food safety and aims to prevent the sale of food that is harmful to health. Anyone who has a business to do with food has to abide by this Act, and the Act is enforced by environmental health officers and trading standard officers, who are employed by local councils and authorities.

The Government has created a new agency called the Food Standard Agency, which has the power to monitor the safety and quality of food, from the start of food production until it reaches the consumer. It also offers advice and gives education on matters relating to food safety.

One way of ensuring food safety is to identify possible risks and hazards during the production, transport, storage and sale of food products. Food businesses are required to make a careful study of their buildings, workers and activities and work out where there are any possibilities for the food they deal with to become contaminated. This type of study is called a Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (HACCP for short). What does it mean?

Hazard Analysis = identifying the places, times or activities in the production process where the food could became unsafe

Critical Control Points = the points at which the food is it high risk of becoming unsafe, for example during storage, preparation or cooking

HACCP is also used to check other aspects of food production, for example faults with packaging, unwanted items falling into a food product, or faulty mixing, cooking or chilling.