Analysis of Food Freezing by Slot Jet Impingement

A review of food safety in low-moisture foods with current and potential dry-cleaning methods

Food is one of the basic needs of human life. With the increasing population, the production and supply of safe and quality foods are critical. Foods can be classified into different categories including low moisture, intermediate moisture, and high moisture content. Historically, low-moisture foods have been considered safe for human consumption due to the limited amount of moisture for microbial activity. Recalls of these foods due to pathogens such as Salmonella and undeclared allergens have brought attention to the need for improved cleaning and sanitization in dry food manufacturing facilities. In the food industry, cleaning and sanitation activities are the most efficient methods to prevent microbial contamination; however, water is most often required to deliver cleaning and sanitation agents. A well-written and properly implemented sanitation standard operating procedure can take care of microbial and allergen cross-contamination. Nevertheless, there are unique challenges to cleaning and sanitation processes for low-moisture food manufacturing facilities. The introduction of moisture into a low-moisture food environment increases the likelihood of cross-contamination by microbial pathogens. Hence, the use of water during cleaning and sanitation of dry food manufacturing facilities should be limited. However, much less research has been done on these dry methods compared to wet sanitation methods. This review discusses recent foodborne outbreaks and recalls associated with low-moisture foods the accepted methods for cleaning and sanitation in dry food manufacturing facilities and the limitations of these methods. The potential for air impingement as a dry-cleaning method is also detailed.

Recent progress in food processing applications of air impingement technology: A review

Air impingement method has been widely used in a variety of industrial applications, such as textile and paper drying, turbine cooling, and glass quenching, because it is an efficient technology with high heat and mass transfer rates. This technology has received increasing interest in the field of food processing over the last two decades, such as drying, baking, blanching, freezing, and thawing. In a food processing equipment using air impingement, jets of high-velocity air (with speeds of 10-50 m/s) are directed at a food product. The performance of the system is influenced by several critical elements, including jet velocity, nozzle array diameter and layout, jet distance, and boundary layer characteristics. The use of computational fluid dynamics, an emerging tool, has been shown to be valuable in the analysis of fluid flow and heat and mass transfer in jet impingement systems. The physical properties of impinging jets, such as turbulent mixing in the free jet zone, stagnation, boundary layer formation, recirculation, and their interactions with food products in terms of heat and mass transfer, have been discussed in this article. The benefits and disadvantages of air jet impingement technology in different food processing applications together with potential trends for improving impingement technology performance were identified and discussed. This review not only contributes to a better understanding of the research status of impingement technology on food processing but also triggers new research opportunities in this field in order to provide more healthy and nutritious food in a more sustainable way to the world's growing population.