A decision support framework considering sustainability for the selection of thermal food processes

A specific combination of rule-based technique and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process was examined for the development of a decision support framework for selecting thermal process technologies in the food industry considering sustainability. Demonstrating the process sustainability, energy indicators are especially focused and cover four aspects of energy use in the process, including energy consumption, energy efficiency, energy savings and renewable energy use. The selection comprises two steps and results in the ranking of potential technologies for a particular product. The goal is to provide decision support at an early stage of selecting thermal process technologies for the food industry.