Principal contributor of the sections on fortification, Leonard E. Johnson, and of the sections on preservation, Elwood F. Caldwell and Theodore P. Labuza.
Elwood F. Caldwell, Leonard E. Johnson, and Theodore P. Labuza
Breakfast Cereals and How They are Made, Second Edition
Pages 375-410
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/1891127152.010
ISBN: 1-891127-15-2
Abstract
Fortification and preservation technology must, above all else, be kept pragmatic. After the decisions have been made regarding which nutrients are wanted in the final product, the levels at which they are to be added, and the shelf life required, the food technologist is faced with the threefold challenge of accomplishing the process such that 1) the product is not negatively affected in odor, flavor, or color; 2) the added nutrients are acceptably stable and sufficient overage is added to compensate for losses in processing and storage; and 3) the process remains practical and economically viable.
The more complex and abusive the processing conditions, the more difficult it is to achieve these ends. However, the demonstrated ability of the breakfast cereal industry to routinely fortify millions of tons of product with a wide spectrum of nutrients not only places it in the forefront of fortification technology application, but also demonstrates the feasibility of such fortification and subsequent preservation with available technology and equipment.
In this chapter, we first discuss the technological decisions that must be made in breakfast cereal fortification and practical means of implementing such fortification and then turn to the theoretical and practical bases of preservation of the sensory and nutritional characteristics and wholesomeness of breakfast cereals over their packaged shelf life.
