14 Processed and Preserved Foods in Food Service

N. Chellam

epgp books

 

 

 

 

1.    Introduction

 

Food Service industries are switching their views into processed convenient foods to balance the raising labor charges, raising material cost, growing food technology and demand of efficient working personnel’s. Today almost 98% of the food service establishments using preserved foods and only a few in rural regions could not access them. So there is a boon for the processed food industry to supply their commodities to food service industries.

 

2. Objectives

 

From this lesson you would be able to understand the following.

  •  Importance of processed foods.
  • Role of preserved commodities in food service establishments.

3. What are processed foods and how are they differing from preserved foods?

 

Processed foods are foods of natural origin that has been altered in some way by which it is made into convenient for cooking or eating. All processed food products are not necessarily industrially made many of them are processed at home also.

 

But preserved foods are foods that are processed for shelf life enhancement by using some scientific principles that controls the spoilage causing micro organisms and enzymes. So all preserved foods are processed ones.

 

3. Classification of processed foods.

 

Processed foods are available in several forms. They are

 

3.1. Milled Foods

 

Food that require minimal processing, that is they are processed minimally. Example polished and cleaned cereal product, powdered pulse and spice products.

 

3.2. Preserved Foods

 

Foods processed to enhance shelf life, they are called preserved foods. Example: Canned vegetables, canned fish, pickled cucumber.

 

3.3. Ready to cook foods

 

Foods that are added with several ingredients such as sweeteners, spices, oils, colors or preservatives and are ready for final cooking are categorized under this. Examples: Instant cake mix, Instant soup mix, Instant spice mix, rasam power, etc.

 

3.4. Ready to eat foods

 

Food that need minimal preparation or no preparation, are called “Ready–To– Eat”. As there is no additional works they are called as Convenient foods. Example: Breakfast cereals, Ice cream, candy, Jams, Jellies, Yogurt, Bread, Biscuits, Cakes.

 

3.5. Packed Foods

 

Foods that are packed to save time and stay fresh.Most of the foods commercially available today are in packed form. Example: Frozen vegetables, meat, pizzas and pies.

 

4.  Additional concept of processed foods in food service industries

 

4.1. Efficiency Foods

 

These are foods that are classified as nature’s own foods: apples, eggs, milk, watermelon, grapes, tomatoes, etc. These foods are ready to eat and require little or no added production costs to make them into finished consumable products.

 

Second, there are those foods which are processed and treated so as to reduce perishability and remove processing stages for the food service operator, while maintaining natural characteristics. Examples of these are frozen oil blanched potatoes, canned or frozen vegetables, frozen pre portioned cuts of meats, dehydrated milk and eggs.

 

A third type of efficiency food is that food or a combination of foods which are changed from their original form into completely new products. For example, Jell-O gelatin, Jell-O pudding mixes, dry cereals, cake mixes, dehydrated and canned soups, macaroni, ice cream, butter and canned and frozen prepared foods.

 

4.2.Pre fabricated foods

 

They can be identified by the fact that they are prepared to some degree but additional cooking and accompaniments are still needed. Examples are stuffed chicken parts, legs, breasts, breaded and browned or with the skin on ready to bake, breaded meats and fish, dry mixes for soups, sauces, salad dressings, puddings, mashed potatoes, as well as certain pre-cooked roasts.

 

4.3.Fully-cooked entrees

 

There are fully prepared, packed with sauce and ready to heat and serve. These are frozen products, which are actually the most popular in this category, but also retorted canned foods which can be stored on the grocery shelf. These are very well-known in Europe.

 

5.    Why processed foods?

 

5.1.Changing lifestyle of consumers: Public today in the industrialized world need more leisure activities at home. Their growing awareness and interest needs food service industry to serve more convenient foods than traditionally prepared.

 

5.2.Social mobility of consumers from one part of the world to other has given rise to fast food operations, grill and barbecue restaurants and other types;of mobile and vending restaurants. This results in food service establishments to prefer commercial processed foods.

 

5.3.Handling and storage requirements: As processed foods require less timing to prepare they are well received by foods service outlets in order to save time and energy. More compact and neatly packed processed food occupies very less space in the kitchen also an added feature for its popularity.

 

5.4.Quality and safety issues: Processed foods are manufactured for quality purpose and their superior quality ensures safety. Every food service establishment wishes the same to offer their customers pure and safe foods.

 

5.5.Better portion Control: Processed foods are mostly converted from their natural state. So the edible portion of them would never get wasted and also the result enhances better portion control.

 

5.6.Variety: Processed foods are available in several forms. Hence a food producers have more chances to introduce many dishes to his customers.

 

5.7. Economy: Products prepared from natural state by using conventional method swipe of the working time and money. Whereas processed ones need not require more steps, more labour and more money for all these.

 

5.8.Labor saving: Shortage of working personnel in foods service operation results in need for more convenience foods.

 

5.9.Rising food and labour costs and increasing competition. Most significant barrier for operating food service establishments over the next three years are rising food costs from suppliers and rising labour costs. Twenty-three percent see increasing competition as a growth threat.

 

5.10. A growing price gap between restaurants and groceries. Restaurant and foodservice costs increased 2.7% last year driven by the price of labor while groceries and other food retailers experience deflation. Retailers are passing lower food prices along to consumers, while restaurants must increase menu prices to cover labor. The result? A widening gap between the cost of eating out and the cost of eating in.

 

5.11. Other valid reasons    for why processed foods are very much preferred by the

 

food service establishments are:

  • Lack of trained professional.
  • Control cost at various level of food production
  • More efficiency when adding processed foods.
  • Less equipments
  • Food for special health needs

 

6. Users of processed foods in food Industry

 

Global survey on commercial users of processed foods reseal more than 50% of the processed food manufactured in the companies were bought by7 the food service outlets. Restaurants and cafeterias preferred more processed foods and next is fast food restaurants, motels and airlines foods service organizations, are also enjoy the benefits of processed foods.

 

6.1. Hospitals, Schools and Colleges: Schools and college require more unique and novel processed foods to introduce it for their captive customers. They have flexibility tin their many planning and they need more new products to introduce. Whereas hospitals and institutions focus more on health aspects of food for which they go in for the products that are modified in nutrient such as Low – sodium salt, low fat mixtures, and high protein formulas.

 

6.2 Airlines: Food service in airlines is very challenging as it meets people from various regions of the world at same time, and their duty to introduce new novel foods to the passengers.

 

As it is difficult to serve lengthy traditional foods in the flight, it always prefers to pack the foods either ready to cook or ready – to – reheat and eat. It is obviously seen in flight food service that majority of it would be convenient foods. Jams, Jellies, Candies, Sauces, and Juices, Bread, Biscuits, Cookies and chocolates are very commonly seen in flight services. With higher food service cost some airlines are showing interest in appetizing, less expensive foods such as cold dishes and casseroles.

 

6.4. Fast foods operators: They generally have limited menu using prepared dishes with little garnishing. Nowadays fast foods outlets are taking their service off in different dimension to several customers. So their need for menu planning depends upon the priorities of their prime customers. Fast foods located near multinational corporate go for burgers and sandwiches, whereas the near a school or college go for puffs, and pastries. Any ways fast food outlet gives scope to several processed products.

 

 6.5. Restaurant: Family and fine dining restaurants prefer to serve their guest with end number of dishes in the menu card. Preparing and making ready of several dishes practically not possible and hence they seek for more multipurpose product. Even – though these restaurants have a big spacious kitchen they face a problem of high labour cost. So there is a necessary consideration were given to increase the use of convenient processed foods and automation in table restaurants.

 

6.6. Military: Army is a noble area of public service that priorities the need of its employees must fed for feel and function. That is the entire meal of an army man is even calculated for all nutrients and provisionally supplemented with required nutrients. Processed and some processed foods for travel during war time is of more use.

 

7. Benefits of utilizing processed foods in food production industries

 

Processed foods play some vital role in food service as they got their own salient features.

 

Some of them are discussed below.

 

7.1. Saves time and energy: Several processing steps required by the conventional foods like cleaning, dehulling, dehusking, grinding, chopping that require labour time and energy are cut by processing at industries. Hence there is a benefit of saving time and energy.

 

7.2. Convenient and handy: All processed foods are packed as per the mode of its usage. So they are so simple to handle and convenient to carry also. Pre-portioning is done at industries and thus volumes and measurements are accurate.

 

7.3. Hygiene: Nowadays most of the industries adopt aseptic tools to handle the products while processing in order to achieve good shelf life. So the products are pure and safety is ensured.

 

7.4. Economical: As these products does not require much preparation, the labour requirement becomes very less. Hence there is a reasonable selling prize and quite economical to the consumers.

 

8.  Processed foods popular among food service organizations

 

8.1.  Frozen foods

 

Frozen foods are very important food components preferred by most of the food service industries nowadays. These are being distinguished between the varieties and types of products. These are utilized as processed and pre-fabricated products. The first universally accepted frozen foods are the products which have been processed to a degree, but are still considered ingredients that require additional work by the cook. They are called efficiency foods. Examples are: pre-cut roasts, steaks, cutlets, pre boned and cut chickens, peeled potatoes, pre-cut and prewashed salad greens, canned and frozen vegetables, frozen fish, whole and fillets, shrimp, crab and other sea foods.

 

8.2. Baked foods

 

Foods that are cooked in dry heat are called baked foods. It requires special equipment to cook. Small and simple catering outlets usually keep less sophisticated equipments due to budget and space non availability. In this case the menu dependent upon the baked products like bread, pizza base, buns and bread crumbs would be purchased in advanced and stored for the instant usage. It makes the availability of special dishes in all catering services and applications of numerous resources

 

8.3. Pickled products

 

Common preparation methods such as pickling and fermenting are providing a modern twist to an old favorite. That’s why restaurants are exploring homemade pickles, ethnic flavors and specialty vinegars, while small-batch producers are introducing less traditional vegetable varieties and fermented flavor profiles. Sausages and salami are nowadays available all around the world as they are preferred much.

 

8.4. Dried and dehydrated foods

 

Foods that are naturally exposed for removal of water is called drying, whereas if it is done in an equipment is called as dehydration. Most of the Indian food materials are sundried after immediate harvesting. And are reached the users point once after dehydrates to the expected level. Majority of the non perishable and semi perishable food used in kitchen are dehydrated. Additionally convenient foods such as Masala mixes, breakfast cereals, instant foods and beverage mixes are also very commonly used. Fast food outlets, burger shops and pizza corners mostly run on consumables form various dehydrated food products,

 

8.5. Masala Powders

 

Masala in Indian cuisine is used in varied forms depending upon the role it will play in particular dish to get the required flavor and aroma. It is used in the form of powders and pastes. Industrially processed masala powders are available in different brands and are widely used in different organizations. Spice powders are generally blend of masalas primarily used for preparation of curries and gravies, where as Masala pastes are made of only one spice and are commonly used for the preparation of gravies.Spinch pate, ginger paste and garlic pastes are some popularly utilized by the hotels and restaurants.

 

8.6. Milk products

 

Condensed milk, yoghurt, curd, milk powder, cheese, butter are commonly used milk products in Food service sectors. All these products are part of regular menu of a restaurant and are popular among all age groups. There is a mushrooming of Chinese and Continental restaurants demands these products much. Production of these products done in both government and non government sectors and distributed through regular market.

 

8.7. Canned fruits and vegetables

 

Canning is a high thermal treatment done to the product in containers. Fruits and vegetables are packed in tin containers after several processing steps done under hygienic condition soaked in salt or sugar solution and sealed. High pressure boiling will be done in hot water tanks for few minutes to hours. This results in complete destruction of microbes and spores and thus there is an extended shelf life. These products can be kept even under room temperature for more than a year. As their superior shelf life these products are in demand by the foods service establishments.

 

8.8. Fat Products

 

Margarine and Mayonnaise are the two common products preferred by the food service establishments. Margarine is a water in oil emulsion made of Beef fat, skim milk powder, citric acid, sodium chloride and water. It is the imitation of dairy butter. Margarine can be nutritionally supplemented with beta carotene and vitamin D2. It is one of favorite salad dressing preferred for continental fresh and sauted salads. Mayonnaise is semi solid oil in water emulsion of edible vegetable oil, egg yolk, vinegar, salt, glucose and seasoning. Burgers and sandwiches are prepared deliciously with mayonnaise.

 

8.9. Fruit products

 

Variety of processes has been developed to provide new novel processed fruit products. Jams, jellies and marmalade are the most popular ones among other products. These are actually sugar treated fruit pulps or extracts boiled in an open container along with acid and pectin. These freshly flavored fruit products are used by bakeries and confectionaries. Among fruit beverages Squashes and crushes are most wanted by the menu of a restaurant. Fruit bars and candies are not much in use.

 

9.0. Meat products

 

Generally food service organizations prefer fresh meat for preparation due to its appropriate texture and flavor. Even though processed and preserved meat products like sausage and salami play good role in fast food establishments like pizza and burger outlets. Nowadays frozen meat cutlet patties are even available in the commercial market for the consumer.

  1. Summary

Processed and preserved foods are widely used in food service sectors as they reduce the time and labor for food production in large quantities. They reduce the labor requirements, save time and minimize food loss. As the shelf life of the popular processed foods are high and reasonably good at cost they are widely consumed by these industries. There is a general belief about them that all are contaminated by chemicals and nutritionally very poor. This has got to be removed as there are products processed since ages like chilles, paddy and all spices that

you can view video on Processed and Preserved Foods in Food Service

Bibliography:

 

  1. Sethi,M and Malhan,S,M,( 2006),Catering Management an Integrated approach, IInd edition, Wiley Eastern Limited, Mumbai.
  2. Andrews,S. “Food and Beverage Service, Training Manual”, Tata Mc Graw, Hill Publishing Company Ltd, New Delhi, 2007

 

Web links