Food Processing and Related Technological Implications for Quality Control and Consumer Safety Issues: A Review

About author
Dr. Subha Ganguly
AICRP on Post Harvest Technology (ICAR),
Department of Fish Processing Technology, Faculty of Fishery Sciences,
West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences,
Budherhat Road, P.O. Panchasayar, Chakgaria, Kolkata , WB, India
E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract
Food processing involves the conversion of raw ingredients into more acceptable food forms. Food processing is related to crops after harvesting, animal products prepared after slaughtering of animals and converting these products to appeal the general consumers for market profitability and for increasing the storage life of the finished processed products. Animal and fish feeds are also manufactured by this same mechanism of processing. There are several advantages of proper food processing under controlled and regulated conditions. It implies the decrease or removal of the content of anti-nutritional factors from the food, increase in shelf-life for prolonged preservation, ease in marketing and increase in consumer demands and increment in the quality and consistency of the finished processed food. It also increases the availability of many food items during off-seasons, increases the convenience in transportation of food items  over long distances by decreasing the chances of rotting of mainly perishable food items and increasing the safety for consumption by deleting pathogenic microorganisms which cause spoilage.
Key words: Food, Processing, Storage life.