ArticleLiterature Review

Ultrasound and Thermosonication as Promising Technologies for Processing Plant-Based Beverages: A Review

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Abstract

Plant-based beverages are water-soluble extracts of cereals, pseudocereals, seeds and legumes that resemble milk in appearance. However, these products have important differences compared to normal liquid milk, such as nutritional composition, sensorial properties and shelf-life stability. Increasing number of consumers are opting for these beverages due to lactose intolerance, milk protein allergies or lifestyle. In this regard, different emerging technologies have been investigated to solve problems such as shelf life, nutritional and emulsion stability as well as sensory acceptability, without using high temperatures since heat treatments decrease the content of some bioactive compounds. Ultrasound technology alone or combined with temperature (thermosonication) could be a valuable tool to improve the properties of plant-based beverages. Therefore, this review provides a detailed analysis of the effect of ultrasound and thermosonication on the physical, bioactive, microbiological and sensory properties of almond-, soybean-, coconut-, hazelnut- and peanut-based beverages, among others.

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Immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated cow’s milk allergy (CMA) is one of the most common food allergies in infants and young children. CMA can result in anaphylactic reactions, and has long term implications on growth and nutrition. There are several studies in diverse populations assessing the epidemiology of CMA. However, assessment is complicated by the presence of other immune-mediated reactions to cow’s milk. These include non-IgE and mixed (IgE and non-IgE) reactions and common non-immune mediated reactions, such as lactose intolerance. Estimates of prevalence and population-level patterns are further complicated by the natural history of CMA (given its relatively high rate of resolution) and variation in phenotype (with a large proportion of patients able to tolerate baked cow’s milk). Prevalence, natural history, demographic patterns, and long-term outcomes of CMA have been explored in several disparate populations over the past 30 to 40 years, with differences seen based on the method of outcome assessment, study population, time period, and geographic region. The primary aim of this review is to describe the epidemiology of CMA. The review also briefly discusses topics related to prevalence studies and specific implications of CMA, including severity, natural course, nutritional impact, and risk factors.
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The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the addition of strawberry by-products (pulp and achene) and thermosonication offers a nectar with a potential contribution of health and safety benefits. Strawberry nectar with 0, 10 and 20% of strawberry by-products (SB) was subjected to thermosonication (24 kHz) at 70 and 80% for 8 min at 50 °C. Total soluble solids, pH, polyphenol oxidase (PO) and pectin methylesterase (PME) activities, total soluble phenols (TSP), ascorbic acid (AA), anthocyanins and antioxidant capacity (AOX) were evaluated. Microbiological reduction and inactivation of Escherichia coli was also determined. A limited activity was observed in PO and PME related to the SB percentage added. TSP, AA, anthocyanins, and AOX were increased due to the different percentages of SB added to the nectar. A reduction of aerobic mesophiles (1.28 Log CFU/mL), molds and yeast counts (1.23 Log CFU/mL) were achieved by thermosonication. E. coli inactivation was approximately 1 log CFU/mL in 20% SB nectar at 80% amplitude, 8 min at 50 °C, but increased during storage at 6 °C (0.915–5.86 Log CFU/mL). Thermosonication showed the possibility of employing strawberry by-products in nectars, improving the use of agro-industrial residues by non-thermal technologies.
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This opinion paper discusses how ultrasound can be used to modify the structure of plant-based beverages (juices and “milk”) and proteins, achieving new functionalities. Both positive (such as increasing the nutrient and bioactive compounds bioaccessibility, improving protein solubility and modifying its digestibility) and negative (such as degradation of nutrient and bioactive compounds by exposing them to the environment, or the limited microbial inactivation) aspects are discussed. It is clear that ultrasound technology can be used as a valuable tool to improve plant-based beverages properties, helping to achieve clean label products and positively impacting wellbeing. Its scale-up to industry, however, is still a concern that needs both scientific studies and technological development.
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This study aimed to determine the influence of ultrasound (3 vs. 15 min) and inulin (1% vs. 2% w/v) on functional and sensory properties of whey‐oat beverages. The treatments were identified as I1‐U3, I2‐U3, I1‐U15 and I2‐U15 referring to the inulin (I) percentage (1 or 2%) and the ultrasound (U) time (min), respectively. Acidity of whey and oat solutions decreased (P<0.05) during storage while the antioxidant activity increased without effect on angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitory (ACEI) activity. The whey‐oat beverage with the highest antioxidant and ACEI activities was I1‐U15. The beverages with inulin and ultrasound application were more accepted than the control beverage. Overall, the greatest outcomes were observed in the beverage containing 1% w/v inulin and 15 min ultrasound. Whey, oat and inulin are potential ingredients that confer functional properties for the formulation of value added beverages. Ultrasound technology can be a strategy to improve functional properties of whey‐oat beverages.
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Milk is one of the most familiar words to individuals of all age groups whose essential requirement ranges from neonates to senior citizens. It has become an unforgettable part of our diet. In spite of our self-sufficiency people started drifting to another reliable option called vegan milk or non-dairy alternative which has been in limelight for quite some time. There were many factors involved in the shift most prominent being lactose intolerance, prevention of animal exploitation, carbon footprint, etc. Despite this beverage seeming similar to dairy milk, in reality it is far from it. Dairy milk is a natural emulsion, which is highly stable unlike the non-dairy milk alternative which sediments easily. In order to increase the stability and consumer desirability of the product, researches are being organized in this area. One such modern technology is ultrasonication and this proved to be an impacting preservation and processing technique for a wide range of food products. Thus, this review will highlight the effect of ultrasonication on plant-based milk beverages taking into effect various properties of the beverage such as physical, functional, microbial and organoleptic properties of several non-dairy milk alternatives constituting of peanut, almond, soy and coconut milk, etc.
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In the present study, a combination of microwave and thermosonication treatment was introduced in the soymilk extraction process, and the process was optimized to minimize the enzymatic activity of Soybean Trypsin Inhibitor (STI) and Lipoxygenase (LOX) enzymes. Protein content, fat content, TSS (Total Soluble Solids), and viscosity of soymilk increased upon thermosonication process and was most affected by microwave time followed by ultrasonification time. The inactivation rate constant for STI and LOX was 0.2034 min⁻¹ and 0.3232 min⁻¹, respectively, indicating LOX was more susceptible to inactivation under microwave treatment as compared to STI. The activation energy of STI and LOX decreased from 48.44 to 10.24 kJ/mol and 53.47 to 3.07 kJ/mol after 5 min of microwave pasteurization. FTIR analysis confirmed the conformational deformation of proteins and enhanced molecular interactions in the optimized soymilk. The optimized condition was obtained as 3 min of microwave pasteurization followed by 30 min of ultrasonication at 60 °C in an ultrasonic bath of 28 ± 2 kHz frequency. The optimized treatment produced the soymilk with enhanced nutritional quality and low enzymatic activities.
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Foods with probiotics are in high demand by consumers given their associated health properties that make them the most popular functional foods. Probiotics have primarily been used in products of lactic acid origin. However, nondairy foods are increasingly being used as carriers of probiotics because the population exhibits high levels of lactose intolerance. In addition, modern lifestyles are increasingly distant from animal food consumption such as dairy products. Thus, fruit and vegetables are interesting nondairy matrices for probiotics and are compatible with popular diet options, such as vegetarianism and veganism. Vegetables provide a beneficial environment that protects probiotic viability from stress factors during the product shelf life. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the studies conducted on the application and feasibility of probiotics in fruit and vegetable matrices.
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The objective of this study was to characterize the solubility, structural, thermal, and aggregation properties of oat protein under high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) treatment. Suspensions of oat protein isolate (OPI) at pH 2–8 were subjected to HIU for 5 min at 70% amplitude; solubility, particle size, surface attributes, UV-Vis absorption, intrinsic fluorescence, polypeptide profiles, calorimetric properties, and thermal aggregation were determined. The HIU treatment significantly reduced particle size (up to 37%) and increased surface charge of OPI leading to solubility increases (up to 48%, P < 0.05) at pH 2–3 and pH 5.5–8. However, HIU did not alter the protein profile nor disrupt disulfide linkages between α and β subunits. Reduced enthalpy of denaturation with no shift in thermal transition temperature were observed in HIU samples unless disulfide bonds were pre-cleaved. While control OPI displayed variable changes in particle size upon heating from 20 to 95 °C, the HIU sample maintained a relatively uniform and smaller particle size. The findings indicate that protein particle disruption and weakening of intermolecular forces by HIU improved physicochemical and thermal properties of OPI, which are of value to processing oat protein-based beverages and other food products.
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Previous studies on the application of a novel multifrequency ultrasound washing treatment have proven to be effective in guaranteeing microbial safety, and enhancing the quality of cherry tomato. Nevertheless, there is still a need to evaluate the effect of these treatments on the metabolic activity, volatile profile, and sensorial quality of the fruit. This study evaluated the above parameters of cherry tomato treated with optimized assisted and un-assisted multifrequency ultrasound. The treatments slightly enhanced the enzyme activities and inhibit ethylene production and respiration rate. The results indicated that the treatment with 20/40 kHz and aqueous ozone (0.85±0.2 mg/L) for 10 min enhanced and maintained the volatile compounds(VC). Out of the 44 identified VC, one had odor activity value >1 and thereby considered as active aroma compound contributing significantly to the aroma of the sample. E-nose analysis indicated that alcohol, terpenes, and some aromatic compounds are the core indicators of the significant sensors. PCA showed that the processing methods had an influence on the flavor indexes of the tomatoes. The result verified that all the washing techniques did not result in a substantial negative effect on the tomato, and the treatment with ultrasound and ozone proved to be the best.
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This study aimed to evaluate the effect of high-intensity ultrasound as pre-treatment in the development of fermented whey and oat beverages. Oat malt was produced, incorporated into a whey formulation (35, 50 and 65% v/v of whey) and ultrasonicated (at 40 kHz and 11 W/cm2) for 0, 3 or 10 min, prior to fermentation with L. casei 431. The treatments were identified as 35/65/0, 50/50/0, 65/35/0, 35/65/3, 50/50/3, 65/35/3, 35/65/10, 50/50/10 and 65/35/10, referring to the whey percentage, oat percentage, and the ultrasound time (min), respectively. The beverages 50/50/0 and 50/50/3 registered the highest (P < 0.05) growth with 1.96 and 2.00 log CFU ml, respectively. In general, the final average population of L. casei 431 was 7 to 8.86 log CFU/ml, being this adequate for a probiotic beverage. The highest antioxidant activity was found in the 35/65/3, 35/65/10, 50/50/3 and 50/50/10 beverages without difference (P < 0.05) among them. There was no effect of gender on the acceptance of the probiotic beverages. The best accepted beverage by women was 50/50/3 and both genders disliked the beverage 35/65/10. There was no relationship between the acceptance of the beverages and the consumers’ habit by fermented milk beverages. No difference in the preference between the 50/50/0 and the 50/50/3 beverage was found. It is concluded that the probiotic beverage containing 50% whey and 50% oat and ultrasonicated for 3 min generated the highest levels of L. casei 431 growth, high antioxidant activity and good consumer acceptance and preference.
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Lactose intolerance has a high prevalence worldwide, ranging between 57% and 65%. It is caused by a reduction or loss of the activity of the intestinal enzyme lactase-phlorizin hydrolase, responsible for the digestion of lactose. This alteration determines an increased osmotic load in the small intestine and the fermentation of lactose by the bacterial flora, which leads to a high production of short-chain fatty acids and gas. This is followed by the onset of abdominal pain, diarrhea, and flatulence. In addition to these problems, it was found that subjects with lactose intolerance have an increased risk of developing various extra-intestinal diseases, including cancers. The diagnosis is essential to undertake an adequate treatment and, for this purpose, different methods have been tested. These include genetic test, hydrogen breath test (HBT), quick lactase test, and lactose tolerance test. HBT is the most used method because it is non-invasive, inexpensive, and highly sensitive and specific, as well as easy to perform. In clinical practice, the other methods are mainly used as HBT integration tests. There are also many therapeutic options. An appropriate intervention concerns the dietetic style, such as the consumption of lactose-free foods, but with nutritional characteristics comparable to dairy products. Other valid choices are represented by the use of exogenous enzymes, probiotics, prebiotics, the selection of milk containing specific types of beta-caseins. This review is intended to illustrate the diagnostic methods currently available and the possible therapeutic options for lactose intolerance.
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The high demand of fresh-like products to meet the fruits and vegetables serving encouraged the implementation of non-thermal food processing techniques, such as high pressure processing (HPP) and pulsed electric fields (PEF), with low impact on nutritional components. The aim of the present work is to evaluate the application of HPP and PEF techniques as useful decontamination tool for aflatoxins (AFs) reduction in grape juice. Spiked grape juice samples with AFs treated by PEF or HPP were extracted using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) and determined by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS-IT). Reduction percentages of 14 to 29% have been obtained with both HPP and PEF treatments even higher reductions were obtained for AFB2 and AFG1 under PEF treatment, reaching reduction of 72 and 84% respectively. Results obtained in grape juice samples differed slightly from those obtained in water controls highlighting the matrix effect. Both HPP and PEF techniques showed measurable impact on AFs levels. Furthermore, an AFB2 degradation product obtained after PEF has been identified by quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry detector (qTOF-MS) and its toxicological endpoints predicted by Pro Tox-II web server.
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Low-frequency ultrasound (20 kHz) was applied to model casein (CF) and whey protein (WF) milk systems with varying fat contents of 2%, 4%, and 6% (w/w) under different energy densities from 9.54 to 190.8 J mL⁻¹. The study used Fourier transform mid-infrared spectrometry (FT-MIR) to analyse the modification of milk proteins and fat. The results showed that the fat content and sonication time influenced the intensities of fatty chains and ester groups which are assigned to triacylglycerols and lipid-protein complexes for both CF and WF systems. Acoustic caviation induced structural changes of proteins due to denaturation/aggregation and disruption of milk fat globules/fat clusters led to new protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions.
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The effect of microwave heating (MH, 65 and 75 °C for 15, 30, and 60 s) on the bioactive compounds, fatty acid profile, and volatile compounds of orange juice-milk beverage (OJMB) was evaluated during 28 days of refrigerated (4 °C) storage. Conventionally pasteurized (75 °C/15 s) and untreated beverages were used as controls. MH-OJMB presented a lower browning index and higher levels of ascorbic acid, total phenolics, and carotenoids, higher antioxidant activity, and greater α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and ACE inhibitory activity than the pasteurized product, similar to the untreated beverage. No significant differences were observed in the volatile organic compounds and fatty acids levels. Lower temperatures (65 °C) and longer process times (60 s) resulted in higher retention of bioactive compounds. MH can be an alternative to conventional pasteurization for OJMB processing.
Article
This study aimed to investigate the effect of acid adaptation on the resistance of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium to X-ray irradiation. The non-acid-adapted and acid-adapted E. coli O157:H7 cell counts decreased 8.02 and 5.48 log CFU/mL in apple juice, respectively, whereas the S. Typhimurium cell counts reduced by 3.87 and 3.98 log CFU/mL, respectively, after treatment with 1.0 kGy X-ray. In apple juice, the D5d (dose required for 5-log reduction in cell count) values for non-acid-adapted and acid-adapted E. coli O157:H7 cells were 0.66 and 0.92 kGy, respectively, whereas those for non-acid-adapted and acid-adapted S. Typhimurium cells were 1.40 and 1.30 kGy, respectively. The acid-adapted E. coli O157:H7 cells exhibited higher X-ray resistance than the non-acid-adapted cells in apple juice. However, the acid-adapted and non-acid-adapted S. Typhimurium cells exhibited similar resistance to X-ray irradiation in apple juice. Additionally, the effect of X-ray irradiation on apple juice quality attributes was evaluated. The color, pH, and total phenolic contents of apple juice were not significantly affected (P > 0.05) at all treatment doses of X-ray. The results of this study suggest that the inactivation of acid-adapted cells of E. coli O157:H7, which is the predominant pathogen implicated in apple juice-related disease outbreaks, must be considered for the application of X-ray irradiation in apple juice sterilization process.
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Soymilk is becoming popular worldwide due to its nutritional benefits and the increasing demand for plant-based alternatives for cow's milk resulting from lactose intolerance and dairy allergy. However, soymilk proteins have a lower digestibility and contain higher anti-nutrients compared to dairy proteins. In the present study, ultrasound (25 kHz, 400 W, 1–16 min) and microwave (2450 MHz, 70–100 °C, 2–10 min) treatment were applied to evaluate the relationship between conformational changes and in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) of soymilk proteins as well as the changes of trypsin inhibitors activity. The results revealed that ultrasonication significantly reduced trypsin inhibitor activity up to 52% and improved the digestibility of proteins in soymilk. The digestibility of soymilk significantly increased up to 93% after 10-min microwave processing at 85 °C compared to the untreated samples. Further, a significant loss in α-helix and an increase of β-sheet in the soymilk proteins was observed in ultrasound (16 min) and microwave treatments at 85 °C. The findings of this study demonstrate that ultrasonication and microwave processing showed potential applications in the reduction of trypsin inhibitors activity and improving the digestibility of soymilk through changing the secondary structures of related proteins.
Article
High-intensity ultrasound assisted food processing is a promising and emerging non-thermal method, having broad applications in various food processing operations such as homogenization, extraction, degassing, de-foaming, emulsification, crystallization, cleaning, etc. The shelf life of the liquid food materials can be augmented by the means of ultrasound due to its antimicrobial and enzyme inactivating property. The loss of volatile components such as aroma and flavorings, pigments, nutrients and vitamins, antioxidants, polyphenols, etc. can be restricted to a large extent by the application of a controlled ultrasound processing. However most of the research on food processing assisted by ultrasonication is reported to be conducted at laboratory scale therefore modelling remains a vital aspect that needs to be further studied for scaling up the process for the commercial purposes.
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Cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA) is caused by a reproducible immune-mediated response to milk proteins and tends to present during the first few months of life. This response can vary significantly from an immediate reaction within 2 hours of ingestion to a more delayed reaction, which can occur anywhere between 2 and 72 hours later. A delay in diagnosis can cause significant child and parental distress, while overdiagnosis can lead to an unnecessary elimination diet. CMPA can be confused with lactose intolerance which is a non-immune mediated response as a result of lactase enzyme deficiency. We review the diagnosis and management of CMPA in this article along with future directions.
Article
The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of ultrasonic (US) treatment on chemical characteristics and antioxidant potential of pulps obtained from eight mango varieties indigenous to Pakistan. There was a significant (p < 0.05) effect of varieties and US treatment on chemical characteristics i.e. pH, acidity, TSS, vitamin C contents, total sugars (%), reducing sugars (%) and non-reducing sugars (%). Microstructure evaluation of pulp from all mango varieties showed deshaped middle lamella and cell wall of cells after 8 min of US treatment. At 4 min of US treatment as per shaped cell wall and middle lamella, the chemical characteristics and antioxidant potential were higher. The total phenolics (TP), flavonoids (TF) and total antioxidant activity (TAA) of pulp from most varieties increased significantly (p < 0.05) after US treatment for 4 min but decreased successively after each treatment i.e. 8 and 12 min. The maximum value (314.17 μg AAE/mL pulp) of DPPH was shown by pulp from Dosehri and the minimum (158.67 μg AAE/mL pulp) was found in pulp from Langra before US treatment. The DPPH values of pulp from most of the varieties increased significantly (p < 0.05) after US treatment for 4 min but decreased successively after each treatment but pulp from Langra showed increasing trend after 8 min of US treatment which decreased after 12 min of treatment. The total anthocyanin (TA) values of pulp from Chaunsa, Dosehri, Sindhri, Gulab Khas and Langra increased abruptly after US treatment for 4 min but decreased successively after subsequent treatment. The pulp from Desi, Anwar Ratol, Gulab Khas and Langra showed an abrupt decrease in TA after 8 min of US treatment. An increasing trend of values of total carotenoids (TC) was shown by pulp from all mango varieties after 4 min of US treatment but decreasing trend was observed with subsequent increase in time of US treatment.
Article
A growing number of consumers opt for plant-based milk substitutes for medical reasons, like cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA), lactose intolerance (LI), or as a lifestyle choice. Plant-based milk substitutes, or plant extracts, are water-soluble extracts of legumes, oilseeds, cereals or pseudocereals that resemble bovine milk in appearance. It is produced by reducing the size of the raw material, extracted in water and subsequently homogenized, being an alternative to cow's milk. They are considered cow's milk replacers due to similar chemical composition and can also be used as a substitute for direct use or in some animal milk-based preparations. On the other hand, these substitutes exhibit different sensory characteristics, stability and nutritional composition from cow's milk. They are manufactured by extracting the raw material in water, separating the liquid, and formulating the final product. Others process like homogenization and thermal treatments are indispensable to improve the suspension and microbiological stabilities of the final product so that can be consumed. However new and advanced non-thermal processing technologies such as ultra-high pressure homogenization and pulsed electric field processing are being researched for tackling the problems related to increase of shelf life, emulsion stability, nutritional completeness and sensory acceptability without the use of high temperatures. Some pre-treatments such as peeling, bleaching or soaking can be performed on the raw material in order to improve the final product. The nutritional properties are influenced by the plant source, processing, and fortification. The addition of other ingredients as sugar, oil and flavorings is done to the plant-based milk substitute to make them more palatable and be more acceptable to consumers. Thus, the aim is to review the main reasons for the consumption of plant-based milk substitute as well as the raw materials used and the technological aspects of its production.
Article
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of thermosonication (TS) as a conventional method on the physicochemical and microbiological quality of khoonphal juice to extend shelf life with retention of phytonutrients. The inactivation study of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) was carried out through inoculation into the juice sample. pH and titratable acidity (TA) did not change significantly as a result of both the treatments. A slight decrease in total soluble solids was seen after pasteurization (PS). Thermosonicated juice showed a lesser total color difference and higher retention of bioactive compounds than PS juice. Both the treatments led up to 5 log cycles reduction of E. coli and S. cerevisiae and its survival curves were showed to be best fitted using the Weibull model with R2 value greater than 0.97 in all experiments. Thermosonicated juice had extended shelf life up to 10 days at 4°C with desirable physiochemical quality than conventional treatment. Khoonphal juice is known to provide numerous health benefits but has a very less shelf life. Conventional methods which involve high heat treatment degrade the nutritional quality of the juice. Thermosonication is a process which not only improves the shelf life by reducing the microbial load but also protects the heat‐sensitive nutritional and bioactive compounds from degradation as it involves low temperatures. Thermal kinetics modeling of E. coli and S. cerevisiae in khoonphal juice can serve as a valuable tool in large scale production of khoonphal juice for planning the hazard analysis critical control points and make decisions as we can predict the expected changes that will occur in the microbial population during the process.
Article
Ultra-sonication (US) at varying intensities (200 W, 300 W and 400 W) and hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) at increasing pressures (6 bar, 8 bar and 10 bar) on freshly extracted peanut milk as non-thermal processing of milk for enhanced quality. The effects of US and HC was investigated on physico-chemical properties of peanut milk, microbial inactivation (total plate count and yeasts and molds), microstructure by optical microscopy and particle size, ζ-potential, sedimentation index, rheology and color measurements. The high temperature short time (HTST) treated milk samples have shown 1.53 and 2 log reduction in TPC, yeast and molds respectively with highest protein hydrolysis of 15.7%. Among the non-thermal treatments HC has shown highest log reduction of TPC at around 1.2 for sample treated at 10 bar pressure, whereas the US treatment was most effective for yeast and mold at 400 W with log reduction of 0.9. A non-Newtonian flow behaviour was observed for all peanut milk samples. Viscosity determined by Herschel-Bulkley equation decreased significantly (p > 0.05) after both cavitation treatments. The US was found to be superior to HC and HTST with improved separation index and colour attributes. Therefore, the US and HC appear to be a remarkable non-thermal processing methods for peanut milk and or any dairy or non-dairy beverages.
Article
Ultrasound is an advanced non-thermal food-processing technology that has received increasing amounts of interest as an alternative to, or an adjuvant method for, conventional processing techniques. This review explores the sono-physical and sono-chemical effects of ultrasound on food processing as it reviews two typical food-processing applications that are predominantly driven by sono-physical effects, namely ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and ultrasound-assisted freezing (UAF), and the components modifications to food matrices that can be triggered by sono-chemical effects. Efficiency enhancements and quality improvements in products (and extracts) using ultrasound are discussed in terms of mechanism and principles for a range of food-matrix categories, while efforts to improve existing ultrasound-assist patterns was also seen. Furthermore, the progress of experimental ultrasonic equipments for UAE and UAF as food-processing technologies, the core of the development in food-processing techniques is considered. Moreover, sono-chemical reactions that are usually overlooked, such as degradation, oxidation and other particular chemical modifications that occur in common food components under specific conditions, and the influence on bioactivity, which was also affected by food processing to varying degrees, are also summarised. Further trends as well as some challenges for, and limitations of, ultrasound technology for food processing, with UAE and UAF used as examples herein, are also taken into consideration and possible future recommendations were made.
Article
Strawberry drinks are considered as functional food products due to their high content of health-promoting compounds such as polyphenols. High-pressure homogenization (HPH) results in microbial inactivation while significantly disrupting the plant matrix. This study evaluated the effect of HPH (up to 200 MPa) and number of cycles (at 200 MPa) on the physicochemical, structural and functional attributes of strawberry nectar, with and without the common filtration step that removes part of the polyphenols. HPH reduced particle size, and negatively affected the stability against sedimentation. Surprisingly, viscosity of the filtered drink at low shear-rates increased after homogenization. Color and anthocyanin content were only slightly affected by pressure levels, while total polyphenol concentration was not affected by pressure levels yet significantly increased (up to 30%) following cycling, possibly because of polyphenol extraction from the pulp and achenes. Thus, HPH cycling can be a promising technology for enhancing health-promoting capacity of polyphenol-rich matrices. Industrial relevance Enhancing the health promoting potential of foods is a major driving force for the utilization and further development of novel process technologies. High pressure homogenization is known to decrease the microbial count while significantly disrupting the plant matrix due to the extensive shear forces. This disruption may have, on one hand, major impact on the techno-functional properties like physical stability, rheology and color, yet on the other hand it might result in the release of various bioactive compounds from the plant matrix. Strawberry nectar is a valuable commodity that is often considered as a functional product due to the range of health promoting components, including polyphenolic compounds such as anthocyanins and phenolic acids. Yet very little information exists in the literature regarding the outcome of high pressure homogenization parameters on the properties of strawberry nectars/juices. The data provided in the presented manuscript can fill such a gap regarding strawberry based drinks and also provide a reference for the effect of such technologies on other plant based products.
Article
High-pressure processing (HPP), microwaves (MW) and ultrasound (US) are used for pasteurization with minimum heat input. They also alter physico-chemical properties of milk proteins and enzymes. This article aims at identifying the important changes in milk proteins imparted by these three processing technologies. HPP dissociates casein micelles at low pH (<6.7) and concentrations (<4% w/w), while β-LG is the most pressure sensitive whey protein due to the presence of free thiol groups. Milk enzyme activity is inhibited at higher pressures (>400 MPa). MW treatment denatures whey proteins rapidly, even below their thermal denaturation temperatures. High-power MW treatment (e.g. 60 kW) deactivates enzymes by denaturing them. However, low-power controlled MW irradiation (e.g. 30 W) improves enzyme activity. Ultrasound can homogenize protein aggregates in dairy systems and cause whey protein denaturation. Sonication under applied pressure and heat (e.g. 3.5 kg/cm², 126.5 °C) causes enzyme inhibition while mild sonication conditions can improve enzyme activity. Industrial relevance HPP, MW and US are gaining popularity in the dairy industry due to their ability to pasteurize and functionalize dairy streams with minimal heat input. This review offers insights into how these technologies can be used in isolation or in combination to alter milk proteins and enzyme activity for different academic and industrial applications. However, to fully understand the potential of HPP, MW and US treatment on dairy systems, further research is required in several areas including health related nutritional changes in milk and milk products caused by these technologies.