Reflective Essay: The Determination Of Physical Properties Of Food

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I first started my weekly routine of cleaning the sink area, such as the drying rack and the counter top basin. Working in a food industry further emphasises on the personal hygiene and safety practices. By practicing these good hygiene practices, it also helps prevent contamination, thus protecting against wastage and negative economic consequences for food producers.
Physical properties of food play a key role in all fields where modern technological processes are applied for the generation of food raw materials and the production of food. The determination of physical properties of food and related products are a pre-requisite for planning and production engineering. The common analytical measurements in food industrial processing are brix and pH.
Due to the logarithmic nature of the measurement, even small changes in pH are significant whereby each pH value represents a ten-fold increase in acid concentration. Variations of pH can impact flavour, consistency, and shelf-life. A pH meter must be calibrated before each use to ensure accurate measurements. The calibration of a pH meter is performed by …show more content…

The base ingredient for most CSD is a sugar syrup, prepared by combining crystalline cane or beet sugar and water. Carbonated water constitutes up to 94% of a soft drink. The carbonation process forms carbonic acid, which gives carbonated beverages a slight acidic bite and acts as a mild preservative. The second main ingredient is sugar, that is used in either dry or liquid form. The addition of sugar adds sweetness and body to the beverage, and balances flavours and acids. The overall flavour of a CSD depends on an intricate balance of sweetness, tartness, and acidity. Acids add a sharpness to the background taste and enhance the thirst-quenching experience by stimulating saliva flow. The most common acid in CSD is citric acid, which has a lemon