Ultrasound as an emerging technology for the elimination of chemical contaminants in food: A review

Abstract

BackgroundThe existence of chemical contaminants in food brings a serious threat to human health. Researchers have been making persistent efforts to eliminate contaminants from food to make it safe for human consumption. Traditional methods, such as washing with various agents, peeling, cooking and chemical oxidants, cannot achieve the desired results. In recent years, non-thermal technology, such as ultrasound, has attracted extensive attention as an emerging technology for removing food contaminants. Scope and approachThis review analyzed the research status of ultrasound in the elimination of food contaminants, studied the transformation products and their potential toxicity during ultrasound treatment, discussed the effect of ultrasound on food quality, and summarized the advantages and disadvantages of ultrasound treatment. At the same time, the challenges of this technology, the problems to be studied, and future development prospects were discussed. Key findings and conclusionsUltrasound is a green processing technology, which would not impart secondary pollution. It also has advantages of high efficiency and low energy consumption, compared with traditional decontamination technologies. The combination of ultrasound with other techniques such as ultraviolet, ozone and pulsed electric field shows better decontamination effect. However, ultrasound treatment may cause degradation of some phenolic compounds and vitamins, changes in color, loss of anthocyanin and other adverse effects on food characteristics. In addition, the appropriate ultrasound processing system in terms of probe design, geometry, and operating conditions, needs to be specially designed for different food materials. Thus, some challenges need to be addressed to improve its application.