Food Process Modeling and Optimization by Response Surface Methodology (RSM)
Narjes Malekjani, Seid Mahdi Jafari
Abstract
Response Surface Methodology has been used for optimizing formulations of different foods, such as functional short dough biscuits, soy-coffee beverage, low-calorie mixed fruit jelly, extruded snack food, cream, gluten-free bread, pork frankfurters, walnut oil-in-water beverage emulsion, Iranian white brine cheese, homogenized infant foods and sweet potato-based products. Numerous input variables usually affect the output response of a system or process in food and biological materials, but taking the individual effects of each of these parameters on process response is impossible due to the high costs involved and the number of runs required. Drying is one of the most important techniques used to improve the shelf life of foods, such as fruits and vegetables, which have a high moisture content. Blanching is a heat treatment which is widely used in the agro-food sector and particularly important in the processing of green vegetables to inactivate the enzymes involved in the spoilage of fresh vegetables.