New directions in food research: The role of mathematical models in food processing

Historically, the food industry has had a qualitative rather than a quantitative understanding of the processes that it uses. Changing consumer demands for safer products of higher added value have driven the need to improve existing processes, and develop new ones. A greater reliance on mathematical descriptions and computer modelling of basic food process operations has resulted. Possible opportunities for future work are discussed, and a case study – of the sterilisation of foods – is discussed to demonstrate the shortcomings of existing models.