Food Preservation & Packaging Techniques III

This course provides an overview of food preservation and handling including fresh fruits and vegetables, grains and pulses, fish, red meat, and milk. It presents comprehensive preservation methods based on chemical and microbiological additives, such as fermentation and pH lowering agents. There is also an extensive description of preservation methods using thermal and other non-thermal methods energy such as irradiation, high-pressure, and pulsed electric or magnetic fields.

Students are introduced to principles of packaging and how these principles relate to processing, preservation, distribution and promotion of food products. Students identify available packaging materials, understand how to link materials to safety, quality and shelf life of foods and to compare and contrast different packaging materials. Consideration is given to the National Packaging Targets aimed at achieving a circular economy for packaging, ensuring all packaging can be reused, recycled or composted.

This course will also provide students with the knowledge to enable them to choose the appropriate preservation techniques and packaging materials and types in relation to the food and to understand any problems that may occur due to inappropriate processing and/or packaging.