Optimization of Non-thermal Technology in Food Processing

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Engineering and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 March 2025 | Viewed by 4205

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor

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Guest Editor
School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Interests: process engineering; emerging processing technologies; alternative proteins; food structure
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The aim of this Special Issue, “Optimization of Non-thermal Technology in Food Processing”, is to compare the most modern food technology processes, including high-pressure processing (HPP), pulsed electric field processing (PEF), high-pressure homogenization (HPH), ultraviolet light processing (UV) and cold plasma processing (CPP). Examples of the applications of these technologies on different food raw materials and methods of process parameter optimization will be given.

Dr. Milan Houśka
Dr. Roman Buckow
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • high pressure
  • pulsed electric field
  • high-pressure homogenization
  • ultraviolet light
  • cold plasma
  • foods
  • optimization of process parameters

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 4377 KiB  
Article
Optimization of High-Pressure Processing for Microbial Inactivation in Pigmented Rice Grass Juice and Quality Impact Assessment during Refrigerated Storage
by Uyen Ha Dao, Jitlada Na Lamphun, Sitthidat Tongdonyod, Sirinya Taya, Suphat Phongthai and Wannaporn Klangpetch
Foods 2024, 13(18), 2995; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13182995 - 21 Sep 2024
Abstract
Pigmented rice grass juice (RGJ) is a good source of bioactive compounds, but fresh juice has a relatively short shelf life of only 7 days at 4 °C. The objectives of this study were to determine the optimal growth stage of pigmented rice [...] Read more.
Pigmented rice grass juice (RGJ) is a good source of bioactive compounds, but fresh juice has a relatively short shelf life of only 7 days at 4 °C. The objectives of this study were to determine the optimal growth stage of pigmented rice grass, investigate the optimal condition of high-pressure processing (HPP) for bacterial inactivation in inoculated RGJ using response surface methodology (RSM), and evaluate quality changes in uninoculated HPP-treated juice during storage at 4 °C compared with heat-treated (85 °C/10 min) and untreated samples. Results revealed that the optimal growth stage of rice grass was 9 days with the highest total anthocyanin content of 158.92 mg/L. The optimal condition of HPP was determined to be 612 MPa, 11 min, and 36 °C, and inactivated Escherichia coli K12 and Listeria innocua with 6.43 and 5.02 log reductions, respectively, meeting FDA regulations. The lethality of bacteria after HPP treatment can be explained by damage to the cell membrane and the leakage of intracellular constituents such as protein and nucleic acid. During 12 weeks of storage at 4 °C, total plate counts and yeast and mold counts in uninoculated HPP-treated juice were not detected. Moreover, HPP did not significantly change phytochemical properties (p < 0.05), caused a minor impact on physicochemical properties of RGJ, and maintained the durability of juice samples during storage. Analysis of the phytochemical profile revealed that HPP treatment could preserve most of the phenolic compounds in RGJ and especially increase the contents of protocatechuic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, syringic acid, transcinnamic acid, isorhamnetin-3-o-glucoside, quercetin, and cyanidin-3-glucoside (p < 0.05). Overall, HPP is a potential pasteurization technique for microbial inactivation and nutritional preservation for rice grass juice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimization of Non-thermal Technology in Food Processing)
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18 pages, 1755 KiB  
Article
Inactivation of Hepatitis A Virus and Feline Calicivirus on Model Food Contact Surfaces by Ultraviolet Light (UV-C) Systems
by Breanna Polen, Brahmaiah Pendyala, Ankit Patras and Doris H. D’Souza
Foods 2024, 13(18), 2892; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13182892 - 12 Sep 2024
Abstract
Food contact surfaces can harbor and transmit pathogens leading to outbreaks. Decontamination strategies that are user- and environmentally-friendly without toxic by-product formation are needed. Novel UV-C light-emitting diode (LED) technologies are being explored to deliver the required dose to inactivate viruses in food-processing [...] Read more.
Food contact surfaces can harbor and transmit pathogens leading to outbreaks. Decontamination strategies that are user- and environmentally-friendly without toxic by-product formation are needed. Novel UV-C light-emitting diode (LED) technologies are being explored to deliver the required dose to inactivate viruses in food-processing environments. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of 279 nm UV-C LED to 254 nm UV-C against hepatitis A virus (HAV) and feline calicivirus (FCV, a cultivable human norovirus surrogate) on stainless-steel, ceramic, and glass surfaces. Viruses were surface spread on sterile stainless-steel or ceramic coupons (100 μL on 2 × 2 cm2), or glass discs (50 μL on 1 × 1 cm2), air-dried, and UV-C-treated for up to 3.75 min (surface dose = 0–49.2 mJ/cm2 for HAV and 0–24.6 mJ/cm2 for FCV). Each triplicate treatment was assayed in duplicate, and data were statistically analyzed. The D10-values for HAV treated with UV-C at 254 nm on stainless-steel, ceramic, and glass were 9.48 ± 0.34, 14.53 ± 2.52, and 6.91 ± 1.93 mJ/cm2, while with UV-C LED at 279 nm were 19.53 ± 2.45, 26.05 ± 0.60, and 8.77 ± 2.08 mJ/cm2, respectively. The D10-values for FCV treated with UV-C at 254 nm on stainless-steel, ceramic, and glass were 3.65 ± 0.06, 6.25 ± 1.90, and 4.69 ± 0.03 mJ/cm2, while with UV-C LED at 279 nm were 7.097 ± 2.11, 8.31 ± 2.12, and 7.88 ± 0.86 mJ/cm2, respectively. Higher 279 nm UV-C doses were needed to inactivate HAV and FCV compared to 254 nm UV-C on the tested surfaces. Novel UV-C LED systems using appropriate doses show promise to inactivate foodborne viruses on food contact surfaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimization of Non-thermal Technology in Food Processing)
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14 pages, 1430 KiB  
Article
Impact of Nanoparticle-Based TiO2 Surfaces on Norovirus Capsids and Genome Integrity
by Philippe Raymond, François St-Germain, Sylvianne Paul, Denise Chabot and Louise Deschênes
Foods 2024, 13(10), 1527; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13101527 - 14 May 2024
Viewed by 834
Abstract
Human noroviruses (HuNoVs) are among the main causes of acute gastroenteritis worldwide. HuNoVs can survive for several days up to weeks at room temperature in the environment, on food, and on food handling and processing surfaces. As a result, this could lead to [...] Read more.
Human noroviruses (HuNoVs) are among the main causes of acute gastroenteritis worldwide. HuNoVs can survive for several days up to weeks at room temperature in the environment, on food, and on food handling and processing surfaces. As a result, this could lead to viral spread through the ingestion of food in contact with contaminated surfaces. The development of stable surface materials with antiviral activity might be useful to reduce viral outbreaks. Metal-based compounds, including photoactivated titanium nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs), are known for their antiviral activity. In this study, we tested the impact of 2000 µg/mL TiO2 NPs, with or without UV activation, on HuNoV GII and murine norovirus. Their recovery rates were reduced by 99.6%. We also evaluated a new TiO2 NP-coating process on a polystyrene surface. This process provided a homogenous coated surface with TiO2 NPs ranging between 5 nm and 15 nm. Without photoactivation, this TiO2 NP-coated polystyrene surface reduced the recovery rates of intact HuNoV GII by more than 94%. When a capsid integrity treatment with PtCl4 or a longer reverse transcription polymerase chain detection approach was used to evaluate virus integrity following contact with the TiO2 NP-coated polystyrene, the HuNoV GII recovery yield reduction varied between 97 and 100%. These results support the hypothesis that TiO2 NP-coated surfaces have the potential to prevent viral transmission associated with contaminated food surfaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimization of Non-thermal Technology in Food Processing)
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17 pages, 4144 KiB  
Article
High-Pressure Inactivation of Bacillus cereus in Human Breast Milk
by Miroslava Jandová, Michaela Fišerová, Pavla Paterová, Lucie Cacková, Pavel Měřička, Jan Malý, Marian Kacerovský, Eliška Kovaříková, Jan Strohalm, Kateřina Demnerová, Jana Kadavá, Hana Sýkorová, Radomír Hyšpler, Dana Čížková, Aleš Bezrouk and Milan Houška
Foods 2023, 12(23), 4245; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12234245 - 24 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1229
Abstract
Although Holder pasteurization is the recommended method for processing breast milk, it does affect some of its nutritional and biological properties and is ineffective at inactivating spores. The aim of this study was to find and validate an alternative methodology for processing breast [...] Read more.
Although Holder pasteurization is the recommended method for processing breast milk, it does affect some of its nutritional and biological properties and is ineffective at inactivating spores. The aim of this study was to find and validate an alternative methodology for processing breast milk to increase its availability for newborn babies and reduce the financial loss associated with discarding milk that has become microbiologically positive. We prepared two series of breast milk samples inoculated with the Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) strain to verify the effectiveness of two high-pressure treatments: (1) 350 MPa/5 min/38 °C in four cycles and (2) cumulative pressure of 350 MPa/20 min/38 °C. We found that the use of pressure in cycles was statistically more effective than cumulative pressure. It reduced the number of spores by three to four orders of magnitude. We verified that the method was reproducible. The routine use of this method could lead to an increased availability of milk for newborn babies, and at the same time, reduce the amount of wasted milk. In addition, high-pressure treatment preserves the nutritional quality of milk. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimization of Non-thermal Technology in Food Processing)
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