Cet article est la synthese thematique d'une enquete menee recemment aupres de professionnels (industriels, fabricants et chercheurs) des industries alimentaires sur le theme de la reduction de la consommation d'eau et de la production d'effluents polluants, liee a ces operations. Sont presentees dans un premier temps, secteur par secteur, des donnees de consommations d'eau et de volumes d'effluents produits. Il apparait que de nombreuses procedures de travail et procedes de fabrication peuvent etre ameliores. La tendance doit aller vers une gestion de l'eau comme matiere premiere ou solvant recyclable faisant partie integrante de la rationalisation des procedes (economie d'eau, d'energie, de matiere). Cette gestion passe par la minimisation des rejets apres epuration, en particulier dans le cas de traitement des effluents, et le recyclage des flux aqueux et de matieres, soit directement dans le processus classique de fabrication, soit de facon degradee dans les processus connexes. De nombreux points d'amelioration sont precises et des axes de recherche sont proposes

US government was the first to introduce Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point, the system that had a tremendous impact on everybody's life starting from the food and packaging companies up to consumer themselves. The rest of the nations simply followed US approach with a considerable delay both in terms of legislation and implementation. In the case of genetically modified (GM) or genetically engineered foods, the situation was entirely different. United States benefited from the 'dubious', and definitely not proved, 'substantial equivalence' principle invoked as the most practical approach to assess the safety of GM foods and food ingredients. US legislation appeared to be considerably more lenient than the European Union. The latter required many more analyses and labelling of GM food or food components. In this article, an update is attempted of the entire US legislation falling in fields like food safety, food technology, GM foods and finally legislation referring to specific foods (animal origin - meat, poultry, fish, dairy; and agricultural produces - vegetables, fruits) and water quality by means of fourteen comprehensive tables.

Cet article est la synthese thematique d' une enquete menee recemment aupres de professionnels (industriels, fabricants et chercheurs) des industries alimentaires sur le theme de la reduction de la consommation d' eau et de la production d' effluents polluants, liee a ces operations. Sont presentees dans un premier temps, secteur par secteur, des donnees de consommations d' eau et de volumes d' effluents produits. Il apparait que de nombreuses procedures de travail et procedes de fabrication peuvent etre ameliores. La tendance doit aller vers une gestion de l' eau comme matiere premiere ou solvant recyclable faisant partie integrante de la rationalisation des procedes (economie d' eau, d' energie, de matiere). Cette gestion passe par la minimisation des rejets apres epuration, en particulier dans le cas de traitement des effluents, et le recyclage des flux aqueux et de matieres, soit directement dans le processus classique de fabrication, soit de facon degradee dans les processus connexes. De nombreux points d' amelioration sont precises et des axes de recherche sont proposes.

Electrolyzed water (EW) is a new technology that emerged in the last years with potential application in foods, mainly in microbiological aspects, with variation in application modes, dipping the food in solution, where variation of time can be changed and be apply in the form of spray. Because EW characteristics, its action in microorganisms are still been studied for mechanism elucidation and possible damages, as well its influence in the intrinsic characteristics of food, like color and oxidation. This unconventional or ‘green’ technology has the purpose to prove microbiological quality of food and decrease the use of natural resources like water with minimal generation of chemical/toxic residues. More studies are necessary in relation to this technology and its possible applications in food industry, as well characteristics and mechanisms.

The structured food systems (i.e. cellular tissues) are dissipative structures whose functionality mainly concerns their properties (physico-chemical properties, chemical and biochemical reactions), external interactions with surroundings (interactions with micro-organisms, heat and mass transport pathway) and especially, their interactions with consumers (nutritional value, quality, taste and flavour, texture, appearance: size, shape, colour). Dehydration or rehydration processes concern heat and mass transport phenomena (water, solutes) coupled with micro and macrostructure changes both producing important effects on food functionality. Control of these changes is the major concern in food product development. This control must be applied not only to the changes in physico-chemical properties but also to those related with consumers' issues. Food matrixengineering is a branch of food engineering which aims to apply the knowledge of the food matrixcomposition, structure and properties to promote and control adequate changes which can improve some sensorial and/or functional properties in the food. These changes, which are caused by some basic operations, are related to the phenomena of heat and mass transfer, vaporization-condensation, internal gas or liquid release, structure deformation-relaxation and phase transitions in matrixcomponents, and are usually coupled throughout the operation's progress. The final product may be a new product with improved composition and sensorial properties and/or more stability. All these concepts are discussed in this paper using several examples related to the application of combined food dehydration techniques.

Water affects safety, stability, quality and physical properties of food. The influence of water on physical properties of food is dependent on the state of water in food. The state, expressed as water activity, is briefly discussed in the paper. Further, the influence of water on such physical properties as rheological, thermal, mass transfer, electrical, optical and acoustic is presented in details.

Ein beachtlicher Teil unserer Lebensmittel wird in der Lebensmittelindustrie, in Gross- und Kleinkuechen mit heisser Luft waermebehandelt. Nahrungsmittel sind oft hitzeempfindlich und veraendern ihre physikalischen, chemischen, stukturellen oder mikrobiologischen Eigenschaften waehrend der Hitzebehandlung. Dies beeinflusst sowohl die Qualitaet als auch den Naehrwert der entsprechenden Lebensmittel. Ferner ergibt sich oft ein Verlust an Wasser oder anderen Lebensmittelinhaltsstoffen. So betraegt der Wasserverlust beim Backen von Brot 15 bis 20 % und beim Kochen von Fleisch bis zu 30 %. Es werden die Mechanismen des Stoff-Transports, die Eigenschaften des Lebensmittels, die in diesem Zusammenhang von Bedeutung sind, sowie einige Beispiele fuer Qualitaets- und Naehrwertveraenderungen, die waehrend der Verarbeitung auftreten, diskutiert.