Wilhelm, Luther R., Dwayne A. Suter, and Gerald H. Brusewitz. 2004. Energy Use in Food Processing.

Chapter 11 in Food & Process Engineering Technology, 285-291. St. Joseph, Michigan: ASAE. American Society of Agricultural Engineers.

Energy Use in Food Processing

Abstract. This chapter provides a brief overview of energy use in the food chain from production to processing through preparation in homes and restaurants. Keywords. Energy, energy costs, energy use distribution, food systems, industry comparisons.

11.1 Introduction
The U.S. consumer has readily available an abundant quantity and selection of high quality food items produced in many diverse parts of the world. A supply of relatively low-cost energy is used to power equipment for production, handling, processing, and transport. In 100 years, the food system has seen a labor intensive industry replaced by energy-consuming mechanization. In 1910, one kilocalorie of energy was spent for every kilocalorie of energy contained in the final food product. Fifty years later, nine kilocalories of energy were used by the food system for each kilocalorie of produced food (Unklesbay and Unklesbay, 1982). The luxury we currently enjoy in having an abundant selection of modern foods has come at the cost of enormous usage of nonrenewable energy. The share of energy used in the U.S. food system, as shown in Figure 11.01, is 18% for on-farm production, 29% for processing, 10% for distribution, 26% for in-home preparation, and 17% for out-of-home preparation (Singh, 1986). The food processing industry directly uses nearly 1/3 of all the energy consumed and has a significant influence on the energy that is used later in the food system. Whether the processed product is frozen, aseptically packaged, or sold in fresh form will certainly have different energy consumption implications for subsequent storage and preparation methods. Energy use in the U.S. food processing system has grown rapidly in the last 50 years. Food processing used 1.2 1015 kJ in 1940, 1.9 1015 kJ in 1950, 2.4 1015 kJ in 1960, and 3.5 1015 kJ in 1970 (Unklesbay and Unklesbay, 1982). This energy use growth rate of 3.3% per year was double the population growth rate over the same period. Industrys increasing use of energy was further impacted with higher fuel costs in the 1970s but prices have since returned to lower levels. Todays new food products and packages include microwaveable, individual servings, and shelf-stable foodsall energy-consuming items. Also, there is a trend to more convenience and away-fromhome food consumption.

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Processing & Mfg. 29%

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Distribution 10%

In-Home Preparation 26% On-Farm Production 18% Out-of-Home Preparation 17%

Figure 11.01. Share of energy used within the U.S. food system. The trends of increasing energy use and cost affect various parts of the food system differently. A fresh fruit and vegetable company would be less affected by changes in energy costs than a company manufacturing a highly processed product. Companies relying heavily on energy-intensive processing will continue to use low-cost fuels and will have the opportunity to utilize energy-conserving processes and equipment. Although the cost of energy has decreased as a percentage of the final sale price, its absolute cost for certain industries is significant and would become even greater at higher fuel costs.

11.2 Energy Used by U.S. Industry

Manufacturing companies in the United States in 1993 employed 17 million people, used $61 billion of energy, added $1.5 trillion in value to raw materials to produce products valued at $3.1 trillion (USDC, 1993). The U.S. Department of Commerce compiles and publishes an annual survey of manufacturer statistics including the cost of purchased fuels. The statistics are arranged by industry groups according to the Standard Industrial Classification system (SIC). Table 11.01 lists the industrial groups that purchased the most fuel and electrical energy in 1993. The food group is the fourth largest industrial use of energy (Figure 11.02), moving up from a sixth-place ranking in 1981. It uses 9% of the industrys total energy, compared to 8% in 1981. Food manufacturing uses 9.0% of the employees to produce 13.5% of the value of shipments, highest of all industries. By any measure, the food industry is a significant part of U.S. manufacturing with continued growth expected to use even more energy in the future.

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Chemicals

10.7

Primary Metals

8.0

Paper

6.0

Food

5.5

Petroleum

4.2

10

12

Cost of Purchased Energy, (Billions)

Figure 11.02. Cost of purchased energy ($ 109 in 1993) for five largest U.S. industry groups (USDC, 1993).

Table 11.01. Cost of purchased energy, employment, and value of shipments for 10 leading energy-consuming U.S. industries. Industry Group Chemicals Primary metal Paper Food Petroleum Stone/clay/ glass Transportation Fabricated metal products Rubber Ind. machinery Top 21 industries Cost of Purchased Fuel & Electrical Energy ($ 106) 10 685.8 7 970.3 6 006.6 5 504.6 4 201.9 3 715.5 3 100.1 2 982.3 2 928.0 2 600.7 60 916.6 All Employees ($ 103) 841.0 653.2 627.4 1 521.9 113.7 468.2 1 583.4 1 371.9 938.7 1 748.9 16 957.9 Value Added ($ 106) 170 880 55 272 59 449 165 987 23 014 35 784 165 551 88 007 63 378 140 987 1 496 395 Value of Shipments ($ 106) 314 743 142 364 133 485 423 367 164 715 65 574 414 914 175 137 122 776 277 867 3 128 364

Data from U.S. Department of Commerce Annual Survey of Manufacturers (1993).

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Energy used by manufacturing industries has increased continually over the years, except for a decline in the 1970s after the Middle East oil embargo when unit prices of fuel rose by 50%. Since then, fuel costs have returned to a lower steady level. For most manufacturing companies fuel is only a small percentage of operating costs and so energy cost can be generally passed on to the customer through increased cost of the final product.

11.3 Energy Used by Various Food Industries

The U.S. Department of Commerces SIC #20 divides the food and kindred products industry into nine groups with three to seven subcategories in each. Table 11.02 lists the 10 food industries buying the most fuel in 1993. Wet corn milling is by far the largest food processing energy user (Figure 11.03). The number two energy use is for poultry slaughtering and processing. This industry has grown significantly in size and has replaced meat packing which was second just 10 years earlier. Beet sugar was third in 1981 and by 1993 dropped below nine higher energy users. The number three through seven users in 1993 were also large users 10 years before. Sausage and prepared meats is the new entrant as the number six energy user in 1993. The cost of fuel to process a dollar of shipped product varies among industries. Wet corn milling and beet sugar are energy intensive processes spending 5.5 to 6.9 for fuel per dollar of shipment (Figure 11.04). These two industries could be significantly affected by changes in fuel costs and potential changes in the processing system. Energy intensive industries could gain the most from developments of alternative processes using less energy. The next highest industry users are 2.0 for soybean oil milling and 1.8 for bread products. The food and kindred products industry average is 1.3 fuel cost per dollar of shipped product while all manufacturing industries average Table 11.02. Cost of purchased energy and value of shipments for 10 leading energy-consuming U.S. food industries. Industry Group Wet corn milling Poultry Bread & cake Fluid milk Meat packing Canned fruit & vegetable Malt beverages Sausage & prepared meat Beet sugar Soybean oil All food & kindred products Cost of Purchased Fuel & Electrical energy ($ 106) 427.5 326.4 278.9 247.8 264.3 233.4 235.7 238.5 133.9 198.2 5 504.6 Value of Shipments ($ 106) 6 170 24 853 15 181 18 422 49 487 15 100 17 644 18 835 2 402 9 775 423 368 Fuel Costs ($)/ Value of Shipment ($) 0.0694 0.0132 0.0184 0.0135 0.0054 0.0155 0.0134 0.0127 0.0558 0.0203 0.0131

Data from U.S. Department of Commerce Annual Survey of Manufacturers (1993)

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Wet Corn Poultry Processing Bread & Cake Meat Packing Fluid Milk Prepared Meat Malt Beverage Canned Rruit & Vegs. Soybean Oil Beet Sugar 0 100 134.0 200 300 400 279.0 264.0 248.0 239.0 236.0 233.0 198.0 326.0

428.0

500

Cost of Purchased Energy, (Millions)

Figure 11.03. Cost of purchased energy in 1993 ($ 106) for 10 largest U.S. food industry groups (USDC, 1993).

Wet Corn

6.9

Beet Sugar

5.6

Soybean Oil

2.0

Bread & Cake

1.8

Avg. of All Food

1.3

Cost per Dollar of Product Value

Figure 11.04. Energy cost (cents per dollar product value) for the most energy-intensive food industries (USDC, 1993).

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energy cost is 2.0 per dollar of product. Energy use in specific industries and processing operations are explained in detail in a series of articles in Food Technology (1977) and for milk processing, freezing, canning, blanching, evaporation, membrane filtration, and irradiation by Singh (1986).

11.4 Post-Processing Energy Use

Energy use after processing, although not explicitly part of processing, is directly affected by the form of the product leaving the manufacturing plant. Thus, the products of the processing industry influence the energy used during distribution, storage, and preparation. The transport of frozen products over long distances and storage for long times requires extensive amounts of energy. Food preparation is performed by an extremely high number of small size units widely distributed in location and time of use. Food preparation operations requiring energy, such as heating, may be performed by individuals with little awareness of energy implications. The home cook, who is the largest user of energy in the food processing system, is often the least informed about wise use of energy. Energy use is also of little concern to the food service business, e.g.., fast food operators. The processing industry can have a major influence on energy use patterns in subsequent transportation, storage, and food preparation.

References
1. Food Technology. 1977. Energy analysis in food process operations. A series of six articles in Food Technology 31(3): 51-87. 2. Singh, R.P. 1986. Energy in Food Processing. Elsevier Science Publishing Co. Inc., New York, N.Y. 3. Unklesbay, N., and K. Unklesbay. 1982. Energy Management in Foodservice. AVI Publishing Co. Westport, CT. 437 pp. 4. USDC. 1993. Annual Survey of Manufacturers. Statistics for industry groups and industries. M93(AS)-1. Bureau of the Census. U.S. Dept Commerce, Washington D.C.

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Problems
11.1. Explain energy distribution/needs between: processing and manufacturing, onfarm production, out-of-home preparation, in-home preparation, and distribution. 11.2. Why has the energy use in the U.S. food production increased more than the population growth in the last century? 11.3. List food companies that rely heavily on energy-intensive processing and would benefit most by using low-cost preservation processes and equipment. 11.4. List the industry group that used the most fuel and electrical energy in 1993. 11.5. Where did food production rank in fuel and electrical energy use in 1993? Has this been an increase or a decrease over the previous 12 years? 11.6. What percent of total energy did the food industry use in food production in 1993? Is this an increase or a decrease from 1981? 11.7. Despite the rapid increase in energy use, what percent of operating cost does it represent? 11.8. List the ten food industries buying the most fuel in 1993. How has this list changed since 1983? 11.9. Which industries would benefit most from changes in fuel costs and processing systems? 11.10. What is the average fuel cost per dollar of shipped product for the food industry? How does this compare to all manufacturing industries? 11.11. Why is the energy used for food preparation so high? 11.12. Are persons involved in food preparation knowledgeable of the amount of energy used (and needed) for food production? Why, or why not?