Microwaving foods

A. L. Brody, International Conference on Microwaveable Foods-Microready Foods, 88, Schofland Business Research, Inc., Princeton, N.J., 1988. 

GE E-seminars (http //www. ge-plastics.com/resins/designsolutiony seminar/) GE s virtual conference center offers the ability to interact with GE Plastics real-time in live on-line conferences. E-Seminar examples include Material Selection, which provides the attendee with the knowledge, skills and competencies to determine how application requirements influence the material specification process and Materials for Single-Use Microwave Food Packaging, which reviews trends in the growing Freezer-to-Microwave Food Packaging industry. 

Poly(propylene) Margarine tubs, microwaveable food trays ... 

Multilayered materials can be readily formed using thermoforming including food packaging that may involve inclusion of layers of ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers, PS, polyolefins, and/or copolymers of vinylene dichloride and vinyl chloride. Microwavable food trays from (crystallized) PET are manufactured using thermoforming. 

Solid food materials have dielectric properties dependent upon their composition. In many instances, particularly when developing microwavable food products, it is necessary to know the effective bulk microwave properties of the product, crushed, as is, or when agglomerated together. Typical examples are peas, beans, com, pasta, flour... 

Mudgett, R. 1990. Developments in Microwave Food Processing. In Biotechnology and Food Process Engineering. H. Schwartzberg and M. Rao (eds.) pp. 359-404. Marcel Dekker. New York, NY. 

Over 500 raw materials used to create flavors were analyzed through a series of experiments designed to characterize their heat absorption in the microwave oven. From the data gathered, we have proposed the Delta T (AT ) theory to describe the behavior of flavors in the microwave environment. The AT values calculated for these raw materials, which comprise a range of functional groups, allow for the extrapolation of our data to the thousands of rav materials currently used in creating food flavors. This ultimately will enable the design of flavors which are customized for microwave food applications. 

Flavors added to microwave food systems have a greatly expanded role compared to flavors added to products prepared by conventional heating. The flavors must provide not only the characterizing flavor (i.e., lemon, butter, vanilla, etc.), but also the typical roasted, toasted, and baked flavors which do not develop in microwave heated products. New flavors designed for use in microwave products must mask the raw uncooked flavor characteristics and other undesirable flavor notes frequently found in many microwave bases. Microwave flavors must also deliver pleasant aromas into the room during the microwave process. Development of these flavors for microwave application is dependent upon a fundamental understanding of microwave heating on flavor performance in food systems. 

Microwave food products are rarely as simple as the water and oil systems discussed above and caution must be exercised in predicting the reaction of individual flavor components in complex food systems containing salt, proteins, sugars, starches, and other food ingredients. Liquid products quickly dissipate the microwave energy and result in a more uniform product. Solid food products, multiphase systems, or frozen products develop hot spots during heating which further complicate flavor delivery in these systems. Performance of the flavor in the microwave is dependent not only on the physical/chemical properties of individual flavor components, but more importantly, on the Interaction of these components with complex food systems. 

Rapid cook (microwaveable) foods Ready-to-eat meals Crispness agent Breakfast cereals Extruded snacks... 

LaBell, F. (1991). New ingredients for low-fat, sugar-free, and microwave foods. Food Processing 52 52, 54... 

A new generation of PLA materials that can withstand high temperatures and are suitable for microwavable food packaging. 

JOHNS s, GRAMSHAW J w, CASTLE L and JICKELLS s (1995), Studies on functional barriers to migration. 1. Transfer of benzophenone from printed paperboard to microwaved food , Dtsch Lebensm Rundsch, 91(3), 69-75. 

Everyone needs to eat, and in today s fast-paced world, we ve become accustomed to having safe, convenient, and nutritious food at our fingertips, ready to toss in the microwave. Food technologists help make nutrition in our fast-paced lifestyle more convenient by developing new ways to process, preserve, package, and store food. 

PET Polyethylene terephthalate Beverage bottles, frozen food, boil-in-bag pouches, microwave food trays... 

Ethylene vinyl alcohol is also used in production of plastic bottles, thermoform film and sheet, and flexible squeeze tubes. It is being experimented with for microwave food packaging applications, but this use is not yet commercial. It could, however, provide a large new market for EVOH if the application can be successfully demonstrated. 

A.K. Datta, Fundamentals of heat and moisture transport for microwaveable food product and process development, in Handbook of Microwave Technology for Food Applications, Marcel Dekker, Inc. (2001). 

Uses Polyvinyl acetate for adhesives, for use in sensitive applies, such as microwavable food pkg. and medical and personal health care food pkg. adhesives, coatings, paper... 

Uses Heat-resist, film for microwavable food pkg. inj. molded electronic/medical equip, components Polyarylate resin CAS 51706-10-6... 

R Mudgett and H Schwartzberg, (1982) Microwave food processing pasteurization and sterilization- a review , American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Symposium Series, 78(218) 1-11. 

Plastics contain various additives, such as phthalates, bisphenol-A, and nonylphenols, usually present as plasticisers used to make them flexible and dnrable. They can leach out into liquids as well as evaporate into the gas phase and can be inhaled. Increase in temperature usually speeds all of these (which is why microwaving foods in plastic is discouraged). Oestrogenic butyl benzyl phthalate is fonnd in vinyl floor tiles, adhesives. 

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