Category-Based Food Ordering Processes Helge Wurdemann a,d , Vahid Aminzadeh a , Jian S Dai a , John Reed b , Graham Purnell c a Division of Engineering, The Centre for Mechatronics & Manufacturing Systems, King’s College London, University of London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS, United Kingdom b Silsoe Technology Ltd., Wrest Park, Silsoe, Bedford, MK45 4HP c Food Refrigeration & Process Engineering Research Centre (FRPERC), The Grimsby Institute, HSI Building, Europarc, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN37 9TZ d Corresponding author: tel: +44 (0)20 7848 1862, e-mail: helge.wuerdemann@kcl.ac.uk Abstract The food industry presents an important area to apply new technology and automation. Especially, food ordering processes, that describe the transition of products’ physical arrangement from disarray to a structural order, play a major role and will be considered in this paper. This kind of food processes will be extracted from other types of processes and clearly defined. Current ordering processes that have already been installed in the food industry are discussed. A categorisation system for classifying food products is presented. The key characteristics are ’Symmetry’, ’Surface Condition’, ’Hardness’, ’Springiness’ and ’Resistance to Damage’. This improved and novel food classification is unambiguous and it is able to interpret the food stuffs categorisation table in an engineering approach. The overall purpose of food categorisation system is to link each category to a certain food ordering process. Having the mathematical algorithms that depend on the input disarray, the output array and the food product category appropriate and specialised equipment can be used to lead products into order. This can be described in a 3-dimensional matrix. Key words: food processing, ordering processing, definition, categorisation, automation, physical structure Preprint submitted to Trends in Food Science and Technology November 4, 2010