Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Agribusiness Agricultural Health Biotechnology Food safety Inclusion Sustainable development

Key concepts in food processing, product development and general concepts of Food Technology

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

These tutorial-style videos are intended to increase a viewer’s understanding of basic concepts of food science.

Dr. Donald Mercer during the “Mango Worshop” in Antigua and Barbuda

IICA Canada, through its Research and Internship Assistance Program (RIAP), is pleased to present a series of tutorial-style videos on key concepts in food processing, product development and general training topics. 

This initiative was triggered as consequence of feedback received after holding a series of workshops sponsored under IICA’s Canada RIAP program on food processing in the Caribbean. Participants of these workshops expressed the need for on line availability of the videos to allow further dissemination to small scale food processors, students and instructors in educational institutions.

Dr. Don Mercer, Associate Professor at Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, developed the instructional material during his participation in the RIAP. Twenty two videos were produced and grouped into three categories relating to processing activities; food products and training.

Instructional videos were produced in a manner that permit viewers to follow the topic using PowerPoint “slides” with an audio commentary. The complete list of the videos including their duration is shown below:

Processing-related Videos:

  1. Reasons for Processing Foods (18:17)
  2. Blanching of Food and Vegetables (15:59)
  3. Chilling and Freezing (31:09)
  4. Beverage formulation (19:32)
  5. Osmotic Dehydration  (16:21)
  6. Solvent Extraction and Precipitation (15:41)
  7. Tofu Making (16:15)

Product-Related Videos:

  1. Mango Leather Preparation (6:41)
  2. Mango Powder preparation (10:22)
  3. Trail Mix preparation (7:04)
  4. Dried product costing (19:29)
  5. Beverage costing exercise (20:56)
  6. Sugar content of beverages (36:31)
  7. Food Safety , Quality and Spoilage (20:07)

Training-Related Videos:

  1. Dimensional Analysis (20:29)
  2. Moisture Calculations ( wet-dry basics)(20:24)
  3. Pressure and Pressure conversion (31:09)
  4. Density determination (28:26)
  5. Basic Statistics (32:57)
  6. Rate Calculations (31:31)
  7. Mathematical modeling (25:50)
  8. Effects of Temperatures on the Kinetics of Chemical reactions (34:36)

Share

Related news​

San José, Costa Rica

June 5, 2025

At IICA, Costa Rican cacao producers are recognized for the excellence of their products and for their contribution to rural development and nutrition in the region

Experts analyzed 15 samples of cacao from various parts of the Central American country, with the five that received the highest scores then declared winners of the 2025 competition. The same five samples were sent to Rome, Italy, where they will represent Costa Rica in the international “Cacao of Excellence” competition, the stepping stone to the International Cocoa Awards.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Turrialba, Costa Rica

June 3, 2025

On a study visit to Costa Rica, ministers of Agriculture, rural youth and women of the Eastern Caribbean were introduced to improved agricultural practices

The mission began with two days of activities at IICA Headquarters in San Jose, including meeting with the IICA Director General, Manuel Otero. The visitors then travelled to CATIE.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

San José, Costa Rica

June 2, 2025

Ibero-America sees biofuels as a solution to decarbonize the energy sector  

The annual meeting of the Ibero-American Association of Energy Regulators (ARIAE), held in San Jose and Guanacaste, Costa Rica, featured the II Entrepreneurial Forum, attracting 200 participants, including the Costa Rican Minister of Environment and Energy, the Executive Secretary of the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) and authorities of the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB); the XV Regular Annual Meeting of the ARIAE General Assembly, which was attended by 17 regulatory agencies of ARIAE; and the XXVI Annual Meeting of ARIAE Energy Regulators.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins