Thermal processing of foods is one of the most important
preservation techniques in the food industry to extend the shelf-life of
foods. It generally involves heating of foods for a predetermined time
at a preselected temperature to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms
that endanger the public health as well as those microorganisms and
enzymes that deteriorate the food during storage. Today, the consumer
demands more than the production of safe and shelf-stable foods and
insists on high-quality foods. The more severe the thermal process, the
greater will be the degradation of food quality, both in sensorial (color,
flavor, texture) and nutritional factors [3].