TABLE 5.
Examples of current and future food processing technology innovations and their benefits to consumers
| Challenge | Innovative technology | Consumer benefits |
| Reduce calorie intake | Digestion-resistant starches | Reduce risk of obesity, diabetes, and related morbidities while maintaining diverse and enjoyable diet |
| • Changing starch structures in plants | ||
| • Modifying starch chemistry | ||
| Naturally derived noncaloric sweeteners | ||
| Fat-reduction processes for food preparation | ||
| Enhance gut health | Novel types of fiber such as water-soluble | Optimize digestive tract performance and reduce risk of disease; resist allergens; enhance well-being |
| Development of prebiotics and probiotics and effective biodelivery systems | ||
| Reduce salt intake | Altered salt crystal structures such as microcrystallization | Provide flavor and food quality while reducing excessive salt intake |
| Flavor enhancement approaches to replace salt | ||
| Enhance health benefits of foods | Stabilized omega-3 fatty acids and DHA enrichment of foods | Improved dietary quality with enhanced nutrients and bioactive compounds that enhance health and well-being and prevent disease |
| Targeted biodelivery with the use of nanotechnology of antioxidants and other bioactive compounds | ||
| Natural colors and flavors derived from plants | ||
| Improve food safety and reduce food waste | Smart packaging materials | Better information about food handling and safety; means of readily identifying unsafe foods; reduced handling to avoid contamination; reduced landfill waste |
| Temperature and oxygen sensors | ||
| Natural antimicrobials | ||
| Edible packaging | ||
| Reduce allergy | Nanotechnology approaches to block antigenic agents | Prevention of allergic responses to foods to enhance quality of life |
| Plant modifications to reduce antigen exposure | ||
| Promote fresh but stable foods | Nonthermal processing: high-pressure processing, ionizing radiation, pulsed electric field | Access to fresh, high-quality foods year-round at affordable prices to promote enhanced consumption and improve nutrition |
| Advanced packaging techniques | ||
| Improved plant varieties | ||
| Produce age-specific products | Optimize nutrients for | Improve growth and development; enhance mental acuity; prevent or treat disease; improve fitness and well-being; prolong quality of life |
| • Infants | ||
| • Children | ||
| • Pregnancy | ||
| • Athletes | ||
| • Midlife | ||
| • Older adults |