Advances in Non-thermal Food Processing Methods-Principle Advantages and Limitations for the Establishment of Minimal Food Quality as well as Safety Issues: A Review

Abstract

Background: The demand from consumers for safe, healthy food with a long shelf life, with no change in taste or nutritive value, has made food safety a key concern in today's world. Traditional thermal food processing technology has trouble meeting these standards. Conventional thermal and non-thermal processing has limitations and to overcome these limitations more studies are conducted regarding the novel non-thermal food processing methods. Objective: The goal of this paper was to present an overview of the research on the development of non-thermal processing techniques, such as electrofreezing, high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, pulsed light, and plasma activated water, as well as their advantages and limitations. Methods: The present review aims to summarize findings related to novel non-thermal processing techniques, gathered from work published in scientific journals, related books, and book chapters from sources such as Web of Science (WoS), Google Scholar, Scopus and ScienceDirect. Results: Non-thermal treatment may result in more desirable outcomes, such as greater preservation of heat-sensitive nutrients, fewer changes in sensorial as well as physico-chemical quality of the processed foods. Conclusion: Compared to traditional heat processing, the nutritional value of foods is better preserved, and the sensory qualities of foods are less altered. These novel techniques can be combined with each other to achieve higher efficiency and overcome other limitations. More studies should be conducted regarding the combination of novel non-thermal techniques to achieve greater efficiency.