Fruit Quality and Quality Products

Fruit Quality and Quality Products
*High quality juice operation are dependent upon a source of high quality raw material.
No matter how good the process is, starting with poor quality fruit for juice production will lead to a poor quality product.
Often the quality of the fruit is dependent the stage of maturity or the level of ripening.
Typical assessments of fruit ripening include sugar concentration, acidity starch content, color, flavor and firmness.

*As is often the case in unit operations, efficiency drives the harvesting process, and in terms of harvester operation, this usually means some form of mechanical harvesting.
Quality can be preserved with mechanical harvesting; however extra care needs to be exercised in the design and use of harvesters.

*In general, all handling of the fruit should be done with sensitivity to the potential of cruising and contamination of the fruit.
Special care must be made on transport of the fruit through the plant so that large drops or other impacts are avoided.

*Storage facilities must be optimized for the type and maturity of the fruit.
Although general cooling of fruit at controlled relative humidity is standard for extending storage life of the fruit, controlled atmosphere can be used to maximize shelf life of fruits such apples.

*Starting with good quality, sound fruit is important but so, too, is the cleanliness of the process operations are important.
In all phases of the juice production, design and assurance of clean and safe operations are important.
Daily cleaning and sanitation of the plant with routine shutdowns will assure maintenance of a clean operation and prevent buildup of trouble spots.
Fruit Quality and Quality Products

Definition of Food Additive

Definition of Food Additive
Food Additive legally defined as “A substance or a mixture of substance, other than a basic foodstuff, that is present in a food as a result of an aspect of production, processing, storage or packaging”

A food additive in it broadest sense is any substance added to food. Legally additives are classified as direct if they are intentionally or purposely added to foods, in which case they must be named on food labels, or indirect if they are incidentally added to food in very small amounts during some phase of production, processing, storage, packaging or transportation.

According to FDA, food additives are substance added to foods for specific physical or technical effects. They may not used to disguise poor quality but may aid in preservation and processing, or improve the quality factors of appearance, flavor, nutritional value and texture.

Although consumer may be skeptical of, or perhaps in opposition to, an uncommon or unfamiliar chemical name of a food additive, in fact, all additives, including GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) substance, such as salt, are chemicals. Food additive undergo rigorous toxicological analysis before their approval and use in foods.
Definition of Food Additive