Process Analytical Technology in the food industry

In this overview publication the principles of Process Analytical Technology (PAT) and Quality by Design (QbD) in food processing will be outlined and the achievable benefits of applying these new concepts in process control are highlighted. Food production is experiencing a dramatic change from inferential monitoring and control (pH, temperature, pressure, flow, etc.) to measuring core parameters (concentrations and (bio)chemical profiles) while producing. This change allows for the introduction of PAT and QbD where the manufactures can deliver their products without post-process testing. This is made possible due to processes being controlled real-time to manufacture in-spec products and materials with the help of the key technologies remote spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis.