The Mahtab Says

Food Extrusion Technology: How Heat, Pressure, Shear, and Moisture Transform Raw Materials into Modern Food Products Every puffed snack, breakfast cereal, pasta shape, TVP chunk, pet food kibble, or instant baby food powder carries a hidden engineering story. Behind its shape, crunch, density, texture, and shelf stability is one of the most powerful technologies in food manufacturing: extrusion . Extrusion is not simply a machine operation. It is a controlled food transformation system where raw material chemistry, moisture, heat, pressure, mechanical shear, screw design, die geometry, drying, and packaging work together to create a finished product. For food technologists, extrusion is important because it connects food science with real industrial production. What is food extrusion? Food extrusion is a continuous thermo mechanical process in which a prepared food mixture is forced through a barrel by one or two rotating screws. Inside the barrel, the material is mixed, compressed...

Oxidation and Rancidity in Foods: The Silent Quality Killer  Food does not always spoil with visible mold, bad texture, or microbial growth. Sometimes, the damage starts silently at the molecular level. This is exactly what happens during oxidation and rancidity , especially in foods that contain fats and oils. Oxidation is a chemical deterioration process in which oxygen or other reacting systems attack food components such as unsaturated lipids, pigments, vitamins, and proteins. Among these, fats rich in unsaturated fatty acids are the most sensitive. When oxidation begins, the food may still look normal, but its flavor, aroma, nutritional value, and shelf life slowly start declining. Rancidity is the practical result of this deterioration. It appears as unpleasant odor, stale flavor, painty notes, cardboard like taste, bitterness, color change, and consumer rejection. In food science, rancidity is not a minor defect. It is a serious quality issue that affects edible oils, ghee...

Aflatoxin Testing in Foods: Why Sampling, Method Validation, and Quality Control Decide the Result  Aflatoxin testing is one of the most sensitive areas of food safety because the biggest error often happens before the laboratory instrument is even switched on. Aflatoxins are not evenly distributed in food lots. They usually occur in contaminated pockets, especially in maize, peanuts, tree nuts, spices, dried fruits, and poorly stored commodities. This means a laboratory may produce an accurate result from a poor sample, but the final decision may still be wrong. Reliable aflatoxin testing begins with correct sampling, continues with proper grinding and extraction, and ends with validated analysis, quality control, and careful interpretation against the applicable legal or buyer limit. What are aflatoxins? Aflatoxins are toxic mycotoxins mainly produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus . These fungi can grow in food and feed when moisture, temperature, drying, s...

  Food Technology Beyond Recipes: The Identity Crisis of a Scientific Profession Food science content has become too repetitive. Every second post is about weight loss, weight gain, nutrition facts, homemade recipes, herbal drinks, detox claims, juices, and “miracle” products. The same ideas are recycled again and again with different wording, different pictures, and the same weak scientific base. Many people are not educating the public. They are only repackaging common myths in a modern style. The most dangerous part is the misuse of science. A product is called “herbal” and suddenly it is presented as safe. A drink is called “natural” and suddenly it is promoted as a cure. A powder is sold with claims of weight loss, diabetes control, liver cleansing, hormonal balance, or immunity boosting, yet there is no clinical evidence, no proper study, no dose validation, no safety data, and no regulatory approval for such claims. This is not food science. This is exploitation of people w...