What is Food Engineering

A technical science that studies the processing methods, processes, and devices used in food industry production. Food engineering is the design foundation of food production processes and equipment. The development of a new product usually requires research and intermediate testing, followed by similarity amplification according to engineering principles to meet the requirements of industrial production.
The materials used in food processing not only undergo physical changes, but are often accompanied by chemical and biochemical changes. Food engineering involves multiple disciplines such as chemistry, physics, agriculture, biochemistry, biology, microbiology, chemical engineering, biochemical engineering, mechanical engineering, human nutrition and food hygiene, packaging materials and engineering, environmental governance and engineering, etc.
The task of food engineering is to continuously provide necessary argumentation, technology, and equipment mechanisms for the scientific, rational, and optimized production of the food industry. The research object of food engineering is single or composite processes and typical equipment in food production, and the mechanism, commonalities, and characteristics of these processes and equipment are studied.
From the development status of food engineering technology science, it is closely related to chemical engineering and bioengineering. Although there are various categories in the food industry, including manufacturing methods, equipment sizes, and structural forms, these manufacturing processes can be classified and organized, and can usually be summarized into several basic processes that are widely used and few in number, called unit operations. Food engineering has the nature of a fundamental discipline, and the fundamental principles it studies are the main foundation and components of various disciplines such as food technology, fermentation technology, and food mechanics.