Non-Thermal Preservation of Dairy Products

Abstract

Dairy products include carbohydrates, protein, fatty acids, and different micronutrients, such as minerals and vitamins. Thermal treatment is generally used in dairy products to provide product safety and increase shelf life. But it can also lead to undesirable effects on dairy products such as protein denaturation, maillard reaction, and loss of vitamins. Non-thermal technology is an alternative method in the preservation of food products due to improving product safety and shelf life without any negative effects on food nutritional content. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP), pulsed electric field (PEF), ultrasound, cold plasma (CP), and pulsed light (PL) are the main non-thermal techniques that are used in the food industry. This chapter gives general principles of the non-thermal techniques, current applications in the dairy products, and recent advances in the dairy industry.