Microbial inactivation by ultrasound for enhanced food safety

Abstract

Inactivation of foodborne pathogens by power ultrasound provides an alternative to traditional thermal processing modalities, with potential for minimizing food-quality degradation. To enhance efficacy, ultrasonic treatment is often combined with other physical or chemical lethal factors, which serve to shorten treatment time and improve quality retention. The inactivation mechanisms, thermodynamic aspects, and kinetic modeling of ultrasonic microbial inactivation will be discussed. The critical issue of how to achieve a relatively uniform acoustic field distribution during treatment will be investigated by computer simulation and verified with microbial inactivation tests. Inactivation of foodborne pathogens in liquid foods, and surface decontamination of fresh produce and nuts, will be used as examples demonstrating the potential of ultrasound-assisted processes. Lastly, the effect of sonication treatment on food product quality and quality retention will be examined.