Packaging for Nonthermal Processing of Food

A number of novel thermal and nonthermal processing methods are in active research and development in industry, academic and government laboratories. A key step that needs to be addressed is how to best package commodities processed by high pressure, pulsed electric fields, UV, irradiation, microwave or radio frequency heating, bioactive coating/packaging, or the treatment with probiotics to best preserve the benefits of improved product quality imparted by these emerging preservation technologies. Packaging for Nonthermal Processing of Food reviews typical nonthermal processes, the characteristics of food products after nonthermal treatments, and packaging parameters to preserve the quality and enhance the food safety of the products. In addition, the critical role of information carried by packaging materials to make a new product produced by a novel process attractive to consumers is discussed. Packaging for Nonthermal Processing of Food offers many benefits to industry for providing the practical information on the relationship between new processes and packaging materials, to academia for constructing the fundamental knowledge, and to regulatory agencies for acquiring deeper understanding on the packaging requirements for new processes.