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Resumen:
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The term ‘minimal processing’ has been defined in various ways, for example very broadly as ‘the least possible treatment to achieve a purpose’ (Manvell, 1996). A more specific definition which addresses the question of purpose describes minimal processes as those which ‘minimally influence the quality characteristics of a food whilst, at the same time, giving the food sufficient shelf-life during storage and distribution’ (Huis in’t Veld, 1996). An even more precise definition, which situates minimal processing methods within the context of more conventional technologies, describes them as techniques that ‘preserve foods but also retain to a greater extent their nutritional quality and sensory characteristics by reducing the reliance on heat as the main preservative action’ (Fellows, 2000). Minimal processing can, therefore, be seen in the context of the traditional concern of food processing to extend the shelf-life of food. At the same time, whilst they value the convenience that increased shelf-life can bring, consumers have become more critical of the use of synthetic additives to preserve foods or enhance characteristics such as colour and flavour (Bruhn 2000). They have also placed a greater premium on foods which retain their natural nutritional and sensory properties. Minimal processing techniques have emerged to meet this challenge of replacing traditional methods of preservation whilst retaining nutritional and sensory quality.
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