While mathematically sophisticated methods can be used to better understand and improve processes, the nonlinear nature of food processing models can make their dynamic optimization a daunting task. With contributions from a virtual who’s who in the food processing industry, Optimization in Food Engineering evaluates the potential uses and limitations of optimization techniques for food processing, including classical methods, artificial intelligence-genetic algorithms, multi-objective optimization procedures, and computational fluid dynamics.

The book begins by delineating the fundamentals and methods for analytical and numerical procedures. It then covers optimization techniques and how they specifically apply to food processing. The final section digs deep into fundamental food processes and provides detailed explanation and examples from the most experienced and published authors in the field. This includes a range of processes from optimization strategies for improving the performance of batch reactors to the optimization of conventional thermal processing, microwave heating, freeze drying, spray drying, and refrigeration systems, to structural optimization techniques for developing beverage containers, optimization approaches for impingement processing, and optimal operational planning methodologies. Each chapter presents the required parameters for the given process with the optimization procedure to apply.

An increasing part of the food processor’s job is to optimize systems to squeeze more dollars out of overhead to offset rising utility and transportation costs. Logically combining optimization techniques from many sources into a single volume focused on food production processes, this book provides real solutions to increases in energy, healthcare, and product liability costs that impact the bottom line in food production.