Principles and recent applications of novel non-thermal processing technologies for the fish industry—a review

Thermal treatment is a traditional method for food processing, which can kill microorganisms but also lead to physicochemical and sensory quality damage, especially to temperature-sensitive foods. Nowadays consumers’ increasing interest in microbial safety products with premium appearance, flavor, great nutritional value and extended shelf-life has promoted the development of emerging non-thermal food processing technologies as alternative or substitution to traditional thermal methods. Fish is an important and world-favored food but has a short shelf-life due to its extremely perishable characteristic, and the microbial spoilage and oxidative process happen rapidly just from the moment of capture, making it dependent heavily on post-harvest preservation. The applications of novel non-thermal food processing technologies, including high pressure processing (HPP), ultrasound (US), pulsed electric fields (PEF), pulsed light (PL), cold plasma (CP) and ozone can extend the shelf-life by microbial inactivation and also keep good sensory quality attributes of fish, which is of high interest for the fish industry. This review presents the principles, developments of emerging non-thermal food processing technologies, and also their applications in fish industry, with the main focus on microbial inactivation and sensory quality. The promising results showed great potential to keep microbial safety while maintaining organoleptic attributes of fish products. What’s more, the strengths and weaknesses of these technologies are also discussed. The combination of different food processing technologies or with advanced packaging methods can improve antimicrobial efficacy while not significantly affect other quality properties under optimized treatment.     

高静水压联合保藏食品技术的研究进展

高静水压处理技术是一种不需加热的食品保藏技术,将它与其它食品保藏技术联合应用不仅可以提高食品的安全性和稳定性,还可最大限度地保护食品中的营养成分.本文综述了高静水压杀菌与加热、pH值、抗菌素、气调包装、二氧化碳、脉冲电场及辐射联合在食品中的应用和研究进展.     

Texture Modification Technologies and Their Opportunities for the Production of Dysphagia Foods: A Review

Dysphagia or swallowing difficulty is a common morbidity experienced by those who have suffered a stroke or those undergone such treatments as head and neck surgeries. Dysphagic patients require special foods that are easier to swallow. Various technologies, including high‐pressure processing, high‐hydrodynamic pressure processing, pulsed electric field treatment, plasma processing, ultrasound‐assisted processing, and irradiation have been applied to modify food texture to make it more suitable for such patients. This review surveys the applications of these technologies for food texture modification of products made of meat, rice, starch, and carbohydrates, as well as fruits and vegetables. The review also attempts to categorize, via the use of such key characteristics as hardness and viscosity, texture‐modified foods into various dysphagia diet levels. Current and future trends of dysphagia food production, including the use of three‐dimensional food printing to reduce the design and fabrication time, to enhance the sensory characteristics, as well as to create visually attractive foods, are also mentioned.     

Dairy foods and novel thermal and non-thermal processing: A bibliometric analysis

Processing dairy products by conventional methods, such as pasteurization, can induce chemical reactions and physicochemical alterations, compromising nutritional and sensory quality. Thus, there is a growing worldwide demand for studies related to emerging processing technologies. This study aims to describe trends related to dairy processing through the application of emerging technologies. In this sense, articles published in this area of research in the last decade were retrieved from scientific databases, and their findings were analyzed through a bibliometric study. Reviews and original articles expressed 40 and 60% of publications, respectively, and novel thermal and non-thermal processing studies showed multidisciplinary approaches. Ohmic heating and microwave heating were the most discussed novel thermal technologies in the processing of dairy products. Among non-thermal technologies, there was a more significant trend in studies on ultrasound, high hydrostatic pressure, and pulsed electric fields. The impact of the application of novel food technologies concerning quality, safety, and energy efficiency compared to traditional methods and the influence of critical operating conditions for process control were the most studied areas. Furthermore, the impact of novel non-thermal food processing technologies from the consumer's point of view is emerging. These results can be used for future innovations by the dairy industry.Industrial relevanceDairy foods are important food matrices considering a nutritional and functional point of view and recommended in a regular diet for consumers of all ages. Therefore, a bibliometric analysis was performed considering dairy foods and novel thermal and non-thermal processing. A higher number of publications considering non-thermal technologies was reported, highlighting the need for food processing without applying high temperatures. High hydrostatic pressure, ultrasonication, and pulsed electric fields were the most discussed non-thermal technologies. At the same time, ohmic heating and microwave heating were the most reported thermal technologies. Furthermore, the most used applications, critical process parameters, and food properties to be evaluated are highlighted and discussed. The results could be used as a basis for the dairy processors to implement non-conventional technologies as an option at their production lines, as they demonstrate the most relevant process parameters and food characteristics to be evaluated, helping them to choose the parameters with higher impact and firstly consider them. Furthermore, consumers studies are important and should evaluate consumer perception about the products and the perceived benefits and risks of the novel technologies.     

Nonthermal pasteurization of liquid foods using high‐intensity pulsed electric fields

Processing foods with high‐intensity pulsed electric fields (PEF) is a new technology to inactivate microorganisms and enzymes with only a small increase in food temperature. The appearance and quality of fresh foods are not altered by the application of PEF, while microbial inactivation is caused by irreversible pore formation and destruction of the semipermeable barrier of the cell membrane. High‐intensity PEF provides an excellent alternative to conventional thermal methods, where the inactivation of the microorganisms implies the loss of valuable nutrients and sensory attributes. This article presents recent advances in the PEF technology, including microbial and enzyme inactivation, generation of pulsed high voltage, processing chambers, and batch and continuous systems, as well as the theory and its application to food pasteurization. PEF technology has the potential to improve economical and efficient use of energy, as well as provide consumers with minimally processed, microbiologically safe, nutritious and freshlike food products.     

Novel and emerging technologies used by the U.S. food processing industry

The main purpose of this research was to investigate the extent of novel non-thermal food processing technologies usage in the United States. A survey was conducted to food experts to study the major reasons for using novel technologies, the limitations for not implementing specific technologies, and the main drivers for innovation of non-thermal food processing technologies. The survey study focused on the high-pressure processing, pulsed electric field, pulsed light, irradiation, ultrasound, oscillating magnetic fields, and cold atmospheric plasma technologies. High pressure processing (35.6%) was the most commonly used non-thermal food processing technologies, followed by pulsed electric field (20%). Rapidly increasing novel technologies included cold atmospheric plasma (14.1%) and oscillating magnetic fields (14.1%). More than 70% of the respondents indicated that the main factor for choosing non-thermal food processing technology was better nutrient and sensory properties. High investment (41%) was the major limitation for implementing non-thermal food processing technologies. The results indicated the main drivers for innovation were equipment manufacturers (43.8%) and government research (42.3%). The results emphasized the need for new and improved innovative, non-thermal technologies to provide a balance between safety and minimal processing.Industrial relevanceThis research provides industry with an overview of perceptions food managers, scientists and technologists of novel non-thermal food processing technologies. This research investigated factors that food companies use to implement particular food processing technologies and the limitations prohibit them from using such technologies. There are technologies which are still under development and are currently being conducted to extend the shelf life of certain foods while preserving freshness and natural nutrients. This study investigated technologies currently being used, ones still under development, and the main drivers for innovation of these technologies within the United States.     

Current status of emerging food processing technologies in Latin America: Novel non-thermal processing

Non-thermal emerging technologies in the sector of food processing have often been cited by researchers as an alternative to conventionally heat treatments for food processing in order to develop safe foods with minimal damage to nutritional and sensory properties. Non-thermal emerging technologies for foods processing have been widely developed in Europe and U.S.A. However, the interest in these technologies and commercialisation opportunities started catching up in Latin America. Thus, this review describes the basic principles and main effect of this technologies in the food and the recent scientific reports on its applications and potential advantages of the so-called non-thermal emerging technologies like ultrasound, high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed electric field, ionising radiation and atmospheric cold plasma, as alternative food preservation process. This review focuses on the current status in Latin America of novel non-thermal food processing technologies, highlighting the limits for scaling up to industrial level in order to be commercially successful.     

非热杀菌技术杀灭食品中芽孢效能及机理研究进展

传统热杀菌会对食品品质产生不利影响,造成食品颜色变化、产生异味、营养损失等不良后果;非热杀菌技术是食品工业新型加工技术,处理过程中可以保持相对较低的温度,对食品的色、香、味以及营养成分影响较小;同时有利于保持食品中各种功能成分的生理活性,可以满足消费者对高品质食品的要求。芽孢在加工过程中抗性强,在食品中萌发和生长的潜力较大,因此,利用低热或非热灭菌技术对芽孢进行灭活是当前食品工业面临的严峻挑战和重要课题。本文综述现有非热杀菌技术（如高静压技术、高压CO2技术、低温等离子体技术、紫外辐射技术、高压脉冲电场技术等）独立处理或与其他处理技术相结合对芽孢灭活的效果及其机理,着重讨论其在食品行业中的应用以及芽孢灭活的分子机制,以期为生产安全食品、减少不同种类食品中微生物污染提供解决方案。     

低致敏食品制备技术及其工业化应用研究进展

食物过敏是联合国粮农组织和世界卫生组织认定的全球性食品安全问题之一。在食品加工多元化的背景下,食物过敏患者要完全避免过敏原十分困难,研发低致敏食品对食物过敏患者的安全膳食至关重要。总结了低致敏食品制备技术的加工技术原理;以蒸煮、微波和烘烤为主的热加工技术通过加热诱导蛋白质变性的方式破坏致敏性构象性表位;高压、脉冲电场、脉冲光、低温等离子体、辐照和超声等非热加工技术可以通过过敏原蛋白结构修饰、多肽链断裂、新化学键的产生等方式直接破坏致敏性表位;酶水解、酶交联、糖基化、微生物发酵等其他加工方法则通过改变蛋白质构象或将蛋白质与糖类物质结合,破坏或隐藏过敏原致敏性表位。另外,对工业化低致敏蛋白配料的加工方法和生产现状进行了阐述分析。基于酶法水解的部分水解乳蛋白和深度水解乳蛋白已经可以工业化生产,其他消减食物致敏性的方法以及其他低致敏蛋白配料值得进一步研究。希望可以为工业化生产低致敏食品提供参考。     

Influence of high pressure application on the nutritional, sensory and microbiological characteristics of sliced skin vacuum packed dry-cured ham. Effects along the storage period

The effect of high pressure processing at 600 MPa on sliced and vacuum packaged commercial dry-cured ham was determined by analyzing the induced color changes, the physicochemical characteristics, the microbiological count and the changes in sensory attributes and also its effect on lipid oxidation measured through TBARS (thiobarbituric reactive substances), antioxidant enzyme activities and the content of fatty acid from total, free and phospholipid fractions. This effect was also studied during 50 days refrigerated storage with different light conditions. The high pressure processing at 600 MPa modified the color of dry-cured ham producing an increase in lightness L*-parameter. Many sensory attributes were also modified resulting in an increase in hardness, chewiness, brightness, odor intensity and saltiness, while reducing color intensity. High pressure produced a reduction in the aerobic count. The oxidative stability of the pressurized dry-cured ham was not altered as observed from the absence of differences in fatty acid contents and antioxidant enzyme activities. Initially pressurization produced a decrease in TBARS levels, however this effect was not found after 50 days of refrigerated storage.

Industrial relevance

The application of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) in food technology is a useful tool to combine a minimal processing that increases the shelf-life of the food products, maintaining their safety and nutritional properties and with minimal changes in flavor or taste. This processing technology is very important to increase the safety of the sliced foods which are prone to the microbiological deterioration, as cured meat products and cooked ham. Pressurization of sliced dry-cured ham at 600 MPa has been shown effective reducing spoilage associated microorganisms. The present study was carried out to evaluate the oxidative stability, nutritional quality, safety and sensory attributes of dry-cured ham pressurized at 600 MPa. This is very important because the hypothesis that HHP does not affect to sensorial characteristics needs to be confirmed in different kind of foods. Also, the possible causes of the observed effects should be explained by the study of physic–chemical parameters. In this way the oxidative stability is an important issue because some authors claimed that HHP can increase oxidation in food containing lipids.     

Nonthermal Processes for Shelf‐Life Extension of Seafoods: A Revisit

For the past two decades, consumer demand for minimally processed seafoods with good sensory acceptability and nutritive properties has been increasing. Nonthermal food processing and preservation technologies have drawn the attention of food scientists and manufacturers because nutritional and sensory properties of such treated foods are minimally affected. More importantly, shelf‐life is extended as nonthermal treatments are capable of inhibiting or killing both spoilage and pathogenic organisms. They are also considered to be more energy‐efficient and to yield better quality when compared with conventional thermal processes. This review provides insight into the nonthermal processing technologies currently used for shelf‐life extension of seafoods. Both pretreatments such as acidic electrolyte water and ozonification and processing technologies, including high hydrostatic pressurization, ionizing radiation, cold plasma, ultraviolet light, and pulsed electric fields, as well as packaging technology, particularly modified atmosphere packaging, have been implemented to lower the microbial load in seafood. Thus, those technologies may be the ideal approach for the seafood industry, in which prime quality is maintained and safety is assured for consumers.     

Rheological,tribological and sensory attributes of texture-modified foods for dysphagia patients and the elderly: A review

Texture-modified foods (TMFs) and thickened fluids have been used as a therapeutic strategy in the management of food intake in the elderly and people with dysphagia. Despite recent advances in describing rheological features of TMFs for dysphagia management, there is still paucity of research regarding the sensory attributes, therapeutic thickness levels and swallowing safety of these foods. Additionally, the relationship between mechanical and structural properties of TMFs throughout the oral processing is not yet fully understood. The present review discusses several properties of food boluses that are important during oral processing to allow for safe swallowing. Dynamic changes that occur during oral processing of TMFs will be reviewed. The use of hydrocolloids to improve the cohesiveness of TMFs and how this impacts the sensory properties of TMFs will be also discussed. Additionally, this review will suggest potential new research directions to improve textural and sensory properties of TMFs.     

New trends in food processing

In this work some of the newest trends in food processing are reviewed. This revision intends to provide an updated overview (including works published until February 2001) on the newest food processes, including food manufacturing, preservation, and control. Modern processes for food and food ingredients manufacturing based on membrane technology, super-critical fluid technology, and some applications of biotechnology are presented, mainly applied to obtain functional foods, "all-natural" enriched foods, probiotics and prebiotics. Also included is a critical assessment concerning non-thermal preservation techniques used for food preservation, such as high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, pulsed light, hurdle systems, etc. Finally, a group of new analytical techniques (i.e., molecular techniques such as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), food image analysis, and biosensors) and their use for food and process control is reviewed.     

Nonthermal Food Processing Alternatives and Their Effects on Taste and Flavor Compounds of Beverages

Food drinks are normally processed to increase their shelf-life and facilitate distribution before consumption. Thermal pasteurization is quite efficient in preventing microbial spoilage of many types of beverages, but the applied heat may also cause undesirable biochemical and nutritious changes that may affect sensory attributes of the final product. Alternative methods of pasteurization that do not include direct heat have been investigated in order to obtain products safe for consumption, but with sensory attributes maintained as unchanged as possible. Food scientists interested in nonthermal food preservation technologies have claimed that such methods of preserving foods are equally efficient in microbial inactivation as compared with conventional thermal means of food processing. Researchers in the nonthermal food preservation area also affirm that alternative preservation technologies will not affect, as much as thermal processes, nutritional and sensory attributes of processed foods. This article reviews research in nonthermal food preservation, focusing on effects of processing of food drinks such as fruit juices and dairy products. Analytical techniques used to identify volatile flavor-aroma compounds will be reviewed and comparative effects for both thermal and nonthermal preservation technologies will be discussed.     

Review: Pulsed Electric Fields Processing of Protein-Based Foods

Pulsed electric fields (PEF) processing is a promising nonthermal food preservation technology, which is ongoing from laboratory and pilot plant scale level to the industrial level. Application of PEF processing may be a good alternative treatment to thermal methods in protein-based foods. A large number of literatures have fully demonstrated that small molecule compounds in plant-based foods, mainly aroma compounds and health-related phytochemicals, were not significantly affected by PEF. However, there was a lack of knowledge on the effects of PEF on proteins and qualities of protein-based foods. This review focuses on effects of PEF processing on endogenous enzymes, safety, and quality of protein-based foods. Finally, the ways to achieve food quality assurance and food safety in PEF processing of protein-based foods are proposed.     

高压对牛乳理化性质和成分的影响

高压食品加工是一种非热杀菌技术,是指在室温或低温下用100-800MPa高压处理食品。与传统的热杀菌比较,它具有很多优点,不仅能杀死微生物钝化酶类,而对食品的营养成分和感官品质改变较小。本文综述了高压处理对牛奶物理化学性质和成分的影响。     

Effects of thermal and electric fields on soybean trypsin inhibitor protein: A molecular modelling study

This study uses molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in investigating the unusual stability of Soybean Trypsin Inhibitor (STI) protein. The effects of temperature and oscillating electric fields (0.5 V/nm and 2.45 GHz) have been used to perform simulations using GROMACS software. The conformational changes in the protein were studies using root mean square deviations and secondary structure analysis (STRIDE). It was found that significant rearrangements took place within the protein especially in ‘turns’ and ‘coils’, but the core structure was stable under external stresses because of the antiparallel β-sheet structure. This study also provides evidence that the aromatic residues play a major role in stabilizing the STI protein using Solvent Accessible Surface Area (SASA) analysis. Ramachandran plots were also used to analyze the stability of the molecules obtained on treatment with temperatures (300 K to 393 K) and oscillating electric fields.Industrial relevanceMolecular dynamics (MD) simulation techniques have been applied to visualize and predict the behaviour of proteins during food processing, and changes in their structure under the influence of external field stress.This study can be used to understand the changes at molecular level that could help industrialists to design processing methods with increased nutritive and sensory appeal of food products.This work can also contribute to the optimization of process parameters to enhance the functional properties of protein and increase protein digestibility.     

Viral Inactivation in Foods: A Review of Traditional and Novel Food‐Processing Technologies

ABSTRACT: Over one‐half of foodborne illnesses are believed to be viral in origin. The ability of viruses to persist in the environment and foods, coupled with low infectious doses, allows even a small amount of contamination to cause serious problems. An increased incidence of foodborne illnesses and consumer demand for fresh, convenient, and safe foods have prompted research into alternative food‐processing technologies. This review focuses on viral inactivation by both traditional processing technologies such as use of antimicrobial agents and the application of heat, and also novel processing technologies including high‐pressure processing, ultraviolet‐ and gamma‐irradiation, and pulsed electric fields. These industrially applicable control measures will be discussed in relation to the 2 most common causes of foodborne viral illnesses, hepatitis A virus and human noroviruses. Other enteric viruses, including adenoviruses, rotaviruses, aichi virus, and laboratory and industrial viral surrogates such as feline caliciviruses, murine noroviruses, bacteriophage MS2 and ΦX174, and virus‐like particles are also discussed. The basis of each technology, inactivation efficacy, proposed mechanisms of viral inactivation, factors affecting viral inactivation, and applicability to the food industry with a focus on ready‐to‐eat foods, produce, and shellfish, are all featured in this review.     

Changes in the electrical conductivity of foods during ohmic heating

Ohmic heating is a food processing operation in which heat is internally generated within foods by the passage of alternating electric current. The process enables solid particles to heat as fast as liquids, thus making it possible to use High Temperature Short Time sterilization techniques on particulate foods. Ohmic heating rates are critically dependent on the electrical conductivities of the foods being processed, about which little information is available. This paper reports experiments to determine the changes in electrical conductivity which occur during ohmic heating of some common foods. A number of effects which occur during conventional heating, such as starch transition, melting of fats and cell structure changes, are shown to affect the electrical conductivity. In some cases the presence of an electric field induces enhanced diffusion of cell fluids in the food which increases the rate of change of conductivity with temperature above that found by conventional heating. Preheating is found to increase the electrical conductivity of some foods, making them acceptable for ohmic processing.     

超高压技术在食品工业中的应用

超高压技术是目前国际上最热门的食品加工技术之一。本文对超高压技术的应用现状;超高压技术在食品工业中的应用前景,包括超高压对微生物、蛋白质和酶、脂类、多糖、胶体和凝胶以及超高压技术对食品感官特性和营养特性的影响;超高压处理食品的特点;当前超高压技术开发的重点及存在的问题等内容作了综述,并对超高压技术在食品工业中的应用前景作了展望。