Vibrations and ultrasound in food processing – Sources of vibrations, adverse effects, and beneficial applications – An overview

Abstract

Mechanical vibrations including ultrasound play a major role during the processing and distribution of foods as they can have both negative and positive effects. The physical principles of vibrations are presented in a concise manner first, and profound information is provided by reviewing the relevance of vibrations in the food industry. On the one hand, this review elucidates common vibration sources and reports on their negative impact on structures, processing plants, and foods. In particular, vibrations occurring during the transportation of food are discussed, and their potential to cause damage to various food products is pointed out by the cited literature. On the other hand, this review likewise illustrates that vibrations are beneficially used for various unit operations during processing as well as analytical purposes. Ultrasound is considered separately by describing its principles, demonstrating versatile applications, and reporting on current advances in food technology.