Courses

Food Processing II

General

Course Contents

Fundamentals, design and operation principles, industrial scale equipment and applications, troubleshooting of the following processes:

  • Evaporation and condensation.
  • Crystalization.
  • Distillation.
  • Extraction.
  • Membrane separations.
  • Drying and dewatering.
  • Heat and mass transfer.

Laboratory Exercises

  • Mass and heat transfer calculation and yield calculation of a two stage evaporator.
  • Study of the operation of a rotating drum dryer.
  • Examination of parameters affecting the performance of a fluidized layer dryer.
  • Investigation of drying stages in a disk dryer.
  • Study of the operation of a fractional distillation column for the separation of a binary feed.
  • Investigation of the operation of a lyophilizer.
  • Examination of the performance of a microwave oven.
  • Evaluation of thermal intrusion in a metal container, in a static autoclave sterilizer.
  • Study of the parameters affecting heat transfer in a metal container, in a rotary autoclave.
  • Examination of the factors affecting the freezing rate of food products in a fluidized layer freezer.
  • Process control in food processing; · on/off (two position) controllers; proportional controllers (P-controllers); proportional integral controllers (PI controllers); proportional integral derivative controllers (PID controllers). Mechanical, pneumatic, electric, electronic automatic control systems.
  • Study of heat transfer under unsteady state using electronic processor.

Educational Goals

The course aims to achieve the following learning outcomes for students:

  • acquiring knowledge in the basic processes utilized at industrial scale for the production of food including mass and heat transfer such as extraction, distillation, crystallization, drying etc;
  • understanding the mechanisms and the operation principles of the various devices used in different processes in food industries, in order to be able to identify and select the appropriate equipment depending on the characteristics and the properties of the raw materials and the final products;
  • combining of the aforementioned learning outcomes with the aim of designing these processes according to the requirements and specifications of industrial applications;
  • acquiring experience through laboratory exercises at pilot scale, in applying the above knowledge and analytical skills to industrial-type processes.

General Skills

  • Analyzing, interpreting and synthesizing empirical data and information obtained from experimental setups.
  • Adaptation to existing conditions.
  • Advancing analytical, productive and inductive thinking.
  • Working in an interdisciplinary environment.
  • Autonomous work.
  • Work in teams.
  • Decision making.

Teaching Methods

Face to face:

  • Lectures (theory and exercises) in the classroom.
  • Laboratory exercises in groups in pilot scale devices.

Use of ICT means

  • Lectures with PowerPoint slides using PC and projector.
  • Notes, solved and unsolved problems in electronic format.
  • Posting course material and communicating with students on the online platform.
  • Use of electronic devices for retrieving and recording experimental data (data logging) in the laboratory.

Teaching Organization

ActivitySemester workload
Lectures30
Practical exercises10
Laboratory exercises40
Reporting20
Independent Study100
Total200

Students Evaluation

Evaluation methods:

  • Compulsory attendance at (at least) 80% of the laboratory exercises.
  • Written final exams in the theoretical part of the course with problem solving and comprehension/judgment questions (80% of the final grade).
  • Final written exams in the laboratory part of the course with multiple choice, short development and problem-solving questions (20% of the final grade).
  • Optional written assignments in laboratory exercises.

The evaluation criteria are presented and analyzed to the students at the beginning of the semester.

Recommended Bibliography

  1. McCabe W., Smith J., Harriott P.: Fundamental Physical Processes of Engineering. Editions Giola, 2003
  2. Kastrinaki E.: Mechanical Physical Processes. Editions Tziola, 2004
  3. Darby R.: Chemical Engineering Fluid Mechanics. Editions Marcel Dekker, 2001.
  4. Earle R.: Unit Operations in Food Processing (https://nzifst.org.nz/resources/unitoperations/index.htm)

Related Research Journals

  1. Journal of Food Engineering.
  2. Journal of Food Processing & Technology.