Processing and Packaging
Convenience, novelty, product line diversity, improved quality, shelf life, and safety are all driving forces to incorporate process and packaging technology in the manufacture of food products. The challenge is to meet marketing, operating, safety and quality goals while maintaining an economical process. When it comes to safety, there are a wide range of technologies that food manufacturers now have at their disposal to meet the twin goals of product safety and production efficiencies. IFSH’s expertise in novel thermal and nonthermal processing technologies is unrivaled, from ultraviolet light irradiation and microwave pasteurization to cold plasma treatment and high pressure processing.
Through its Processing & Packaging focus area, IFSH evaluates the safety of processes and technologies to ensure the effectiveness of process control parameters and packaging materials. This allows food manufacturers to target other important economical aspects of their processes while maintaining the necessary level of safety all the way through production to finished products.
Mission | Capabilities
The Food Processing and Packaging science focus area investigates the physical and microbial effects that processing and packaging steps have on the potential public health impact of foods in terms of food safety, quality and nutrition. The processing aspects of the research centers on pasteurization, extended shelf life and sterilization. When working with IFSH, industry members receive applied scientific expertise and research data on the following focus areas:
- Validation of novel technologies for sterilization, pasteurization and decontamination of dried ingredients and minimal processing of fresh produce
- World-class leadership in C. botulinum research to further develop validation and process authority capability for conventional and novel processing technologies
- Use of new risk management tools and methods, such as Food Safety Objectives (FSOs), to facilitate regulatory approval and equivalency of novel processes
- New technologies and tools for validating package integrity
- Models for predicting migration of contaminants through packaging
IFSH offers a comprehensive processing and packaging research and pilot plant program to assist food industry members in ensuring the safety and quality of their products. IFSH’s capabilities include:
- Expertise in a wide range of processing technologies and applications, including microwave pasteurization, high pressure processing, pressure assisted thermal sterilization, aseptic processing, ultraviolet light irradiation and cold plasma surface treatment
- Provides innovative solutions to packaging-related issues, examines new food packaging innovations and assists in obtaining regulatory approval for new applications
- Access to state-of-the-art facilities, including a GMP processing and kitchen area, a BSL-2 food processing laboratory suite, and a BSL-3 laboratory and biocontainment pilot plant
