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Food Engineering

Food engineering applies the principles of chemical engineering and food chemistry to the large-scale processing of food. Foods must be nutritious, i.e., provide the essential nutrients for growth and health; they must be safe, free from dangerous micro-organisms and chemical contaminants; and, if they are to be consumed at all, they must be attractive in taste and appearance. Food engineers adapt the unit operations of traditional chemical engineering to the specific requirements of food processing. The aim of the food engineering program is to make it possible for well-trained chemical engineers to work in the food industry, the largest secondary manufacturing industry in Canada, with less on-the-job training and adaptation than is now required.

Current research is focused on edible oilseed processing, including oil hydrogenation and refining, protein isolation and purification, and recovery of valuable minor ingredients. Canola, a much improved rapeseed developed by Canadian plant breeders, still contains traces of toxic glucosinolates and phytin, an antinutritional factor, which remain in the meal when the current industrial extraction technology is used. Their presence prevents the use of rapeseed meal as a protein source in food. Our group has developed a process for the simultaneous extraction of oil and detoxification of the resulting rapeseed meal.

The two-phase solvent extraction process is applicable to many food systems, including edible oilseeds and other oil-bearing materials. We are investigating the application of this novel extraction technique to the processing of soybeans, rice bran, crambe, etc.

Fats containing trans double bonds cannot be incorporated into cell membranes, and may contribute to cardiovascular disease. Novel catalysts are being developed which minimize the formation of trans double bonds but retain the desirable characteristics of the nickel-based catalysts now universally used. Work on catalyst immobilization and investigation of homogeneous-heterogeneous mixed catalyst systems continues.

Nitrite is the traditional agent for the curing of meat, particularly pork. The use of nitrite is suspect because, under certain conditions, it can combine with amines present in the meat to form nitrosamines, many of which have been shown to be carcinogenic. We are continuing the development of multi-component curing systems, which reproduce the colour, flavour and oxidative stability of cured meat without the use of nitrite. A parallel project is aimed at chemically characterizing the flavour of meat and cured meat.

We work with the Micronutrient initiative and UNICEF in developing technologies for the introduction of micronutrients into food, for the prevention of micronutrient defficiency disorders. We are working on the stabilization of iodized salt, and double fortification of salt with iron and iodine. We are developing field analysis techniques for micronutrients, including iodine in salt and iron in flour.

A number of novel chemical engineering unit operations have special applications in food processing. We have projects utilizing extrusion, ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis, ion exchange, slurry grinding, supercritical extraction, and liquid-liquid extraction for the processing of food materials. Spray drying has been used to stabilize micronutrients such as iodine, iron and vitamin A for fortifying diets in the developing world.

Programs leading to the Ph.D., M.A.Sc., and M.Eng. degrees are open to graduates in chemical engineering, food science, chemistry, and biochemistry.

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