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Acid preserves |
foods that have a high acid content that inhibits spoilage. |
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Adulteration |
deliberate contamination of foods with materials of low quality. |
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Average weight |
a known proportion of containers have a fill-weight above that shown system on the label. |
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Brix |
units of measurement of sugar concentration |
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Case hardening |
the formation of a dry skin on a wet food due to over-rapid drying. It slows the rate of drying and can lead to spoilage during storage. |
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Chlorination |
the addition of chlorine to water to destroy micro-organisms. |
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Contamination |
materials that are accidentally included with a food (e.g. dirt, leaves, stalks etc.). |
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Critical control |
stages in a process where quality control can have a major effect on |
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Points |
food quality. |
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Cross |
the transfer of soils or micro-organisms from raw food to contamination processed food. |
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Enzymes |
natural proteins in foods that can cause changes to colour, flavour or texture of the food. |
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Equilibrium Relative Humidity |
the moisture content at which a food does not gain or lose weight and is stable during storage |
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Fill-weight |
the amount of food placed into a container or package and written on the label (also net weight). |
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HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) system |
a system used to identify and control contamination in food processing. |
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Humidity |
the amount of water vapour in air. |
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Hydrometer |
an instrument that measures specific gravity of liquids, used to measure salt, sugar or alcohol concentration. |
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Limited liability |
the liability of shareholders in a company to the nominal value of their shares |
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Low-acid foods |
foods that have little acid and therefore can contain food poisoning bacteria if poorly processed. |
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Micro-organisms |
tiny forms of life, invisible until they are in large numbers, including moulds, bacteria and yeasts. |
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Minimum weight |
all packages have a fill-weight equal to or greater than that shown on the label. |
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Net weight |
the amount of food filled into a container. |
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Osmosis |
movement of water through cell walls of plants or micro organisms |
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Pectin |
a natural gelling agent found in some fruits |
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pH |
a scale used to express acidity or alkalinity, from 1 (strong acid) through 7 (neutral) to 14 (strong alkali). |
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Potable water |
water that will not cause illness. |
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Preservation index |
a figure that is calculated to show that the amounts of acid, sugar and salt are enough to prevent spoilage of foods. |
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Quality assurance |
a management system which controls each stage of food production from raw material harvest to final consumption. |
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Quality control |
a series of checks and control measures that ensure that a uniform quality food is produced. |
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Refractometer |
an instrument that measures the refractive index of a liquid, which is used to measure soluble solids in syrups or salt in brines. |
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Shelf life |
the time that a processed food can be stored before changes in colour, flavour, texture or the number of micro-organisms make it unacceptable. |
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Sodium benzoate |
a chemical preservative that is particularly effective against yeasts. |
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Sodium metabisulphite |
a chemical preservative that is effective against moulds and yeasts. |
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Soils |
any material that contaminates food or equipment (e.g. grease, scale, burned-on food or other food residues). |
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Un-incorporated |
a group of people formed into an association that does not constitute a association single legal entity. |
