TWL+-+Essay+-+Current+Innovation+in+food+Industry


 * ASSIGNMENT 1**

**Essay - Current Innovation in food Industry** **__Current Innovation in Food Ingredients __** Long time ago, our ancestors have to make sure that the food they hunted or planted must be finished or eaten by maybe in a few days time, or even less, a few hours time. This results in wasting of food that they obtained with much difficulty. This situation continues until the revolution of technology, where additives are added into food to enable them to last longer. There are many categories of additives, all of which are designed to do an important job in making foods safer or more appealing. The texture of food is important for the look and feel of food, and also for digestion. Thickening and stabilizing agents are gums that work with emulsifiers to maintain the texture of food, and create texture in water-based products that would otherwise be runny. Thickeners and stabilizers tend to be both odorless and tasteless. The gums are polysaccharides – polymers made up of sugar molecules. The majority of these polysaccharides have few or no calories, but many function as fiber in the digestive system. This eases bowel function, and some are used as bulk laxatives. Emulsifiers are the chemicals that make emulsions happen. Nature uses proteins and phospholipids, and many emulsifiers used in modern food production are based on these natural substances. Emulsifier is a molecule in which one end likes to be in an oily environment and the other in a water environment. In mayonnaise, the emulsifier is the phospholipids present in egg yolks – they are such successful emulsifiers that as much as 80% oil can be dispersed in the aqueous phase. Emulsifiers can help to make a food appealing. The example of the mayonnaise without the emulsifier shows how unappealing it would be if the oil and water separated before it was used. Emulsifiers have a big effect on the structure and texture of many foods. They are used to aid in the processing of foods and also to help maintain quality and freshness. In low fat spreads, emulsifiers can help to prevent the growth of moulds which would happen if the oil and fat separated. The colour of our food is an intrinsic part of its appeal. Colours contribute to the taste sensation, whether they are the bright colours we associate with many fruit and vegetables, or the lurid reds and yellows common in Indian dishes. Grey colours give the impression that a food will be tasteless, or even spoiled. There are three main categories of food colourings : natural colours, browning colours, and artificial colours. The current trend in the market is towards a greater use of natural colours. Many natural food colours degrade over time or when they are heated, and they need to ensure that the products remain attractive and look edible throughout their life on the shelf. This is one of the main reasons why colour ingredients are needed.

Preservatives work by killing the microorganism  ,  or preventing it from growing. If the food is too acidic, too salty, or even too sweet for the microorganism to thrive, then this will slow down or even stop spoilage   <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">. The earliest methods included using salt and smoke. Salt draws water out of the food and any microorganisms in it by osmosis, which prevents the microorganisms from growing. The chemicals introduced during smoking make it more difficult for moulds and <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">bacteria to grow, and can also prevent <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">rancidity   <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">. Vinegar, sugar and honey have also been used to preserve foods for centuries. One of the most widely used preservatives today, sulfur dioxide, has actually been in use since the Middle Ages! Another advantage of preservatives is that we don’t have to shop every day because the food we buy lasts for longer. Not only does this save us precious time, but it also saves fuel as we don’t drive to the supermarket as frequently. <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 20pt;">Guys, think about environmental friendly!!! <span style="display: block; line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">One of the most important qualities of our food is the flavour – it has to taste good. The flavourings that are used in food are grouped into those that are natural, and those that are man-made. It’s not just processed foods that contain a cocktail of flavourings – most natural foodstuffs contain very many different <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">aromachemicals <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">, which all contribute to the complex flavou r. Other characteristic flavours are created during cooking or fermentation, and many of the chemicals responsible have been identified. For example, the browning reaction that gives the characteristic caramel flavour to fried onions, pork crackling and even gravy is a chemical reaction between proteins and carbohydrates. Variations on this reaction produce many of the most delicious flavours. <span style="display: block; line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">In my opinion, I strongly believe that as our technology improves, we will surely come out with a better, more reliable and more sustainable method in the process of preserving food, so that there will be no more food wastage.