Cristian Camilo Villa Zabala – författare

Starch is one of the most important natural and biodegradable polymers on Earth. It is used by many plants as an energy reserve, and due to its biocompatibility and relatively easy structural modification, it is widely used in the cosmetic, food, pharmaceutical and materials industries. In recent years, interest in starch has increased due to the development of starch-based nanomaterials. Nanomaterials are small particles—diameters ranging from 10 nm to 500 nm—that can be highly crystalline (nanocrystals) or completely amorphous (nanoparticles). Owing to their versatility, starch-based nanomaterials can be used as carriers of bioactive molecules to improve medical treatments or nutrient absorption. They can also be used as reinforcement in composite materials, improving their mechanical and barrier properties, and new potential applications are continuously reported in the literature. This brief provides a quick guide to the exciting world of starch-based nanomaterials, including their chemical and physical characteristics as well as their synthesis methods and most common applications.

This book is based on some of the invited presentations at the XIII Ibero American Congress on Food Engineering (CIBIA XIII) which was held in Medellín, Colombia, in March 2022 under the leadership of Professor Oscar A. Vega-Castro. Invited presentations were delivered by renowned food engineers worldwide and covered the latest on classic and novel topics driving food process engineering. The selected topics are centered on how food process engineering is addressing new challenges related to various topics of relevance to the food engineering community and beyond. It is relevant to mention that other topics from distinguished colleagues that even though did not attend were added to contribute to the quality of the overall book as well as to expand its thoroughness. It is worth to mention that all the chapters were rigorously peer reviewed as well as copyedited by a professional copyeditor, in other words, this book are not proceedings This book will be included  in the Springer Food  Engineering  Book Series with more than 70 titles, the largest food engineering  series worldwide.As mentioned before “Selected Topics in Food Process Engineering” is a very appealing blend of the novel approaches to manufacture the foods of the future as well as update classic topics truly relevant to the profession. This integration of what is new to what is known resulted in quite a unique blend of state-of-the art topics either on classic topics or novel ones. Some of the topics included in this book follows,Food engineering contributions to health, environment, and wellnessThe role of food engineering during pandemicsModeling of selected food processesClean technologies for the processing and preservation of foodsAlternative thermal and nonthermal processesNanotechnology in food processingStarch digestionExtraction processes in the food industryFood factory of the future3D Food Printing This text serves as an inspirational tool for future research in food engineering and beyond as it promotes the well-being of the population in terms of adequate food supply by bridging engineering knowledge, the food chain and the fourth industrial revolution. The Editors are confident this book will be a valuable addition to the body of knowledge in food engineering and allied sciences.