6 - Application of high-intensity ultrasound in food processing for improvement of food quality

Abstract

In food processing, the most important issue that must be considered is improving or maintaining quality of the treated food. In most cases, during processing that is applied in the food industry, the quality of the food is reduced or lost. High-intensity ultrasound (HIUS) alone or in combination with other processing methods is used to affect significant results on the quality of food. In this chapter, the effect of HIUS on the quality of food material including fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy products, juices, and oils is studied. Some applications of HIUS in drying, extraction, freezing, fermentation, crystallization, emulsification/homogenization, and foaming processes are presented. In most of these processes, HIUS has been employed as an auxiliary method. Usually, HIUS leads to an increase in the performance of the process and improves the quality factors of the food. However, much research is needed to reveal all effects of these techniques on the quality of food.