Food Process Engineering is an understanding of the chemical and biological changes associated with food spoilage that result in the development of processes to control them. To preserve and transform raw commodity successfully into safe, nutritious, and convenient foods, economically and consistently, food engineers utilize a variety of processes involving heat, cold, and automated mechanical devices. 

Analysis of foods is continuously requesting the development of more efficient robust, sensitive, and cost-effective analytical methodologies to ensure the quality, safety and traceability of foods in accordance with legislation and consumers’ demands. The aim of food analysis is obtaining information, which process results information about the composition of food or food raw material sample. This obtaining information can be carried out on different levels. These levels can be the following: elemental, molecular, and structural. 

According to a study around 2 billion people do not have enough food to eat and in that around 40,000 die every day from diseases related to improper diets, including the lack of sufficient food, protein or specific nutrients. Many food chemists are engaged in developing palatable, nutritious and low- cost foods. Food chemists play an important role in developing new food products and improving the quality of the existing ones. This includes altering the nutritional composition of food, which could be in the form of fortification, for example reduction of the caloric content of food by use of artificial sweeteners such as aspartame addition of vitamins to breakfast cereals. They also play a vital role in ensuring that food produced is safe for consumption and is of high quality. Food chemists ensure that food preparation, processing, and storage is done properly according to the good manufacturing practices.

The food introduced in the market should be of good quality and safe for consumption, as well as it should not cause any disease and infection. Thus, food safety and its quality is a matter of great concern and a responsibility of food producers and governments. During the process of distribution of processed food products it undergo through all stages of supply chain, i. e. all processes which describe how food travels from a farm to the consumers tables. This process is commonly known as “from the field to the table”. The main goal of this strategy is to achieve full supervision of food safety in the modern world, because the journey leading from food production to the consumer is very time taking. There are many dangers of food contamination that may be in the production, or during the transport, food storage, or food preparation. In order to enable food quality and sanitary safety of food products, companies have to follow various legislations, standards and norms at every stage of supply chain so that the food should be safe for human consumption.

Baby food products need to be preserved with maximum care. Due to lack of preservatives added to these foods, they can tend to get stale even before they reach the consumers leading to wastage in food, resources and money. The utmost concern should be finding the right packaging which preserves the inside contents in the most secure way, prolonging their expiry.

Baby food packaging is of chief importance for consumers to protect the quality of the packaged food. The baby food packaging market has developed from the use of glass jars to plastics and other materials that are easy to store and are low in cost. The packaging of baby food is available in various types such as folding cartons, metal cans, thin wall containers, stand-up pouches that are appropriate for different food types such as dried, milk formula, prepared, and other baby food. The demand for stand-up pouches is on the rise owing to their long shelf life. ​​Growing trends in baby food production

• Safe, high quality and wholesome baby food purées and infant formula
• Higher nutritional value and fresh taste and colour
• Products that prioritize low environmental impact

The use of nano-materials in food packaging has brought a dramatic positive change in the food industry. Nanotechnology when used in plastic food packaging for making it stronger, lighter or perform better. Antimicrobials such as nanoparticles of silver or titanium dioxide can be used in packaging to prevent spoilage of foods. The introduction of clay nanoparticles into packaging is used to block oxygen, carbon dioxide and moisture from reaching the food, and also aids in preventing spoilage. 

Packaging can be defined as an efficient means of providing protection, demonstration, communicate information, containment, suitability and compliance for a product during storage, carriage, display and until the product is consumed. Packaging of product must provide safeguard against physical, chemical and biological hazards and as well as with climatic conditions and must be cost-effective.

The package must provide suitable reliability of the product throughout the shelf life. The pharmaceutical packaging is an important component for medicinal products because it promises its stability and integrity. It is sometimes an intrinsic part of the pharmaceutical form itself. Additionally, the pharmaceutical packaging has always been essential means of communication for patients (labelling, pamphlet) but also for professionals (such as pharmacists, other pharmacy staff or nurses) at the time of drug delivery.

The rapid growth in working population in developing economies has increased the demand for instant food products across the globe. People, nowadays, have no time to cook, which has resulted in an increased dependence on canned preserved food, as they are rich in nutrients and do not require cooking. The increasing earnings of customers is also adding significantly to the rising demand for canned preserved food in the world.

Canned food is a good source of nutrients, especially for people having restricted funds or with limited access to fresh foods. Can linings prevent the interaction of a food with a can’s metal. Epoxy resin, made from polymers containing Bisphenol A, has been preferred for can coatings because it protects against metal corrosion and holds up to the heat extremes of sterilization. Canned foods play a significant role in international food market. Canned packaging foods can be saved for months in a very similar state to its original form. Canned meat is an on-going development toward cheap alternatives to chilled and frozen meat. As on one hand canned foods offers a long shelf life and low prices, while on the other hand it suffers from a poor consumer perception of its healthiness and taste quality.

According to the previous food laws any food product with degraded quality used to be defined as Adulterated Food but under the new laws, the word adulterated food has been termed as Unsafe Food, Substandard Food, or Food containing the extraneous matter.  A food item is said to be adulterated if: A substance which is added is harmful or unfit for human consumption. Various types of adulterants found in the food products are as follows:

Intentional adulterants: such as colouring agents, starch, Pepperoil, injectable dyes and others.

Incidental adulterants: like pesticide residues, larvae in foods, droppings of rodents.

Metallic contaminants: like lead, arsenic, effluent from chemical industries etc.

The development in Food and beverage packaging is an interdisciplinary area, where materials, safety, systems, regulation, and supply chains play vital roles. Recent advancement in Food and beverage packaging are non-destructive inspection methods, smart packaging, printing techniques, automation architecture, application of robotics and machineries, software systems and interfaces are reviewed.

Food and beverage are necessary consumables items on a daily basis. These are not luxury items that manufactures must convince consumers for their sale. Instead, they are essentials, and the role of marketing professionals is to convince consumers to enhance their sale of the product than that of other brand. So, food and beverage marketing revolves around a certain number of elements that draw customers attention. In the past half-century, the food and beverage industry has grown up from a collection of number of mom-and-pop operations to a trillion-dollar led by huge International Corporation. Gradually changing diets and food habits and both working parents are increasing the demand for frozen and ready to prepare foods. A gradual increase in female participation in the workforce is likely to raise demand for convenience and packaged food as well as eating out. The economy plays a main role in increasing the growth and size of the market. The overarching theme dominating the food and beverage industry is exploding global demand and rapidly rising food prices. 

Nowadays sustainability packaging is  a major global trend in the packaging industry as consumers consistently search for healthier food preferences and also in a search of the manufacturers whose innovative packaging and processes positively impact the environment and the quality of their goods. Here comes sustainable packaging which is simply packaging that may be composted, recycled or reused, at the present time we can easily see manufacturers put more focus on packaging technologies and trends that allow for the reduction of waste and provide a safer product while enhancing their brand message.

MSW consists of items commonly thrown away, food wraps, yard trimmings, including packages and durable items such as refrigerators. Legislative and regulatory efforts to control packaging are based on the mistaken perception that packaging of foods and beverages are the largest component of MSW. Food packaging is an exceptional contributor to MSW because food is the only product i.e. typically consumed thrice a day by every individual. Accordingly, food packaging contributes for almost two-thirds of total packaging waste by volume. 

Modern food packaging technology brings traditional foods into a global stage which emphasizes their commercial and economic aspects. This means that food and packaging technologists become involved in the entire food supply system. Packaging is the science of making the materials look more attractive to the consumer, while at the same time keeping the food fresh and palatable. One of the method of packaging of foods and beverages is home canned foods and for beverages. It is one of the oldest and common methods of packaging in homes are the use of home canning. Foods and drinks are placed in glass jars by heating and placing a rubber stopped jar top on the jar. It is the first method used to store foods in large quantities particularly in rural areas. Foil wraps are often used for packaging the pouches are filled and then the bottom top of the pouch is sealed with a heat seal similar to that of commercial frozen packaging. It allows the food to be sealed in the package without losing any residual moisture that may be present in the food.

Nowadays food preservation, quality maintenance, and safety are major growing concerns of the food industry. It is evident that over time consumers’ demand for natural and safe food products with stringent regulations to prevent food-borne infectious diseases. Antimicrobial packaging is a division of active packaging and controlled release packaging is one such promising technology which effectively percolates the antimicrobial into the food packaging film material and subsequently delivers it over the specific duration of time to kill the pathogenic microorganisms affecting food products thereby increasing the shelf life to severe folds.

The application of sensing technology in different areas of food packaging is an emerging field that was growing continuously from last several years. The advancement in food safety results in the development of intelligent packaging (IP). By these containers, it is possible to monitor and provide information of the condition of food, packaging, or the environment.  Food and beverage manufacturers are using smart packaging for their finished goods and products. Sensor technology is in closed linked with intelligent packaging of food and beverages. For example, smart sensors aid significantly in the control and monitoring of various aspects, such as oxygen moisture, and temperature. Sensors are not always electronic in nature: in the case of food packaging, it could also be in the form of an indicator.

Material science explains the relationship between raw material, processing and quality of food, structure of commodity, and the final product. It also examines the structure of food materials and how they relate to quality, sensory perception, processing attributes and nutrient delivery. The material science also deals with the applications of nanotechnology to food and packaging science. Methods of manufacturing food systems with improved shelf-life and quality attributes are the limelight of material science.

Package testing is a physical test for food and pharmaceuticals, chemical tests are conducted to determine suitability of food contact materials. Package testing is mandatory by regulations for food and beverages, for pharmaceuticals, medical devices, dangerous goods, etc. This may cover the design qualification, periodic re-testing, and control of the packaging processes. Processes may be controlled by a variety of quality management systems such as HACCP, statistical process control, validation protocols, ISO 9000, etc.

SCARA (Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm) robots are generally used for packaging and processing of foods and beverages. Their low cost, small footprint and high throughput rates grasp the attention of manufactures to adopt it and improve their efficiency much better. As robots do not feel lethargy from performing same tasks again and again, they are a best solution for primary packaging tasks such as bottle handling, bin picking, and tray loading. The main reason behind the growing implementation of robots for primary packaging is the increasing demand for more varied packaging, pack counts and retail-ready packaging.

The Active and Intelligent Packaging both include functions that move apart from the containment and protection of a product. The dissimilarity between the two is that while active packaging acts directly with the packaged product by interacting chemically or biologically with it. The objective of intelligent packaging is to identify and communicate information about the product condition, without taking any direct action.

The goal of Active and Intelligent Packaging is to extend shelf life, monitor freshness, and to improve safety and suitability. Active Packaging aims to monitor the condition of the packaged goods. The Active food packaging interacts with its contents chemically or biologically just to extend shelf-life and maintain food quality for as long as possible. While the Intelligent Packaging aims to inform. It can intellect trait of the product and communicate this info to users or trigger active packaging functions. Its main purpose is to indicate whether the quality of the product has deteriorated or not.