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Advances in Thermal and Non-Thermal Processing: Focus on Food Quality...
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Advances in Thermal and Non-Thermal Processing: Focus on Food Quality Changes

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 29 May 2025 | Viewed by 5306

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Junwen Bai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
Interests: fruits and vegetables processing; drying technology; intelligent manufacturing; machine vision

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in exploring the impact of novel thermal and non-thermal processing techniques on food quality. Each of these techniques offers unique benefits and challenges, and understanding their impact on food quality is essential for optimizing their use in food production. This Special Issue aims to showcase the latest research and developments in this field, while also providing an in-depth analysis of the implications for food safety, quality, and consumer acceptance.

Topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Innovative thermal processing techniques, such as infrared, microwave, superheated steam, and flash evaporation technologies, and their effects on the efficiency and quality of food processing;
  2. Emerging non-thermal processing technologies, including ultrasound, cold plasma, pulsed electric fields, and ultra-high pressure, and their impact on the quality of food products;
  3. The application of spectroscopic techniques for non-destructive testing in food processing;
  4. Multidimensional evaluations of sensory qualities such as color, flavor, and texture, highlighting the complex interplay between processing techniques and consumer perception.

Dr. Junwen Bai
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • thermal processing
  • non-thermal processing
  • efficiency
  • quality
  • flavor
  • acceptability
  • sensory analysis
  • non-destructive testing
  • multidimensional evaluation

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2414 KiB  
Article
Synergistic Treatment with Ozone Water and Morpholine Fatty Acid Salts Improves Postharvest Quality in Mandarin Oranges
by Yingbin Liang, Lixin Ma, Qian Xu, Xiaoyu Tian, Li Sun and Jianrong Cai
Foods 2025, 14(8), 1346; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14081346 - 14 Apr 2025
Viewed by 240
Abstract
Citrus rot seriously reduces the quality of citrus, causes economic losses, and is an urgent problem for the citrus industry. Effective preservation and pretreatment methods have an important impact on the maintenance of mandarin orange quality. In this study, mandarin orange was pretreated [...] Read more.
Citrus rot seriously reduces the quality of citrus, causes economic losses, and is an urgent problem for the citrus industry. Effective preservation and pretreatment methods have an important impact on the maintenance of mandarin orange quality. In this study, mandarin orange was pretreated through single and synergistic treatments with ozone water and morpholine fatty acid salts in order to assess their effects on the fruit’s physicochemical properties. First, the parameters of the ozone water treatment, including time and ozone water concentration, were optimized to determine the optimal pretreatment conditions for the subsequent mandarin orange preservation. Subsequently, the mandarin oranges subjected to different pretreatments (ozone water, morpholine fatty acid salts, ozone water + morpholine fatty acid salts, water, and blank control) were stored at 25 ± 2 °C and 75% relative humidity for 20 d to simulate retail conditions (shelf-life). Finally, the surface microbial content, firmness, weight loss, total soluble solids content, respiration rate, decay rate, and surface morphology of mandarin orange peel were assessed during the storage period. The results showed that the synergistic treatment with ozone water and morpholine fatty acid salts significantly reduced the surface microbial content (Lg CFU/g = 3.91), weight loss (2.79%), decay rate (2.5%), and firmness losses on day 20 compared to other single treatments (p < 0.05). Hence, synergistic treatment with ozone water and morpholine fatty acid salts is a new green mandarin orange preservation technology with promising applications in controlling postharvest diseases and extending the storage period. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermal and Non-Thermal Processing: Focus on Food Quality Changes)
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17 pages, 2806 KiB  
Article
Cold Plasma as a Novel Pretreatment to Improve the Drying Kinetics and Quality of Green Peas
by Jun-Wen Bai, Dan-Dan Li, Reziwanguli Abulaiti, Manqian Wang, Xiaozhi Wu, Zhenwei Feng, Yutong Zhu and Jianrong Cai
Foods 2025, 14(1), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14010084 - 1 Jan 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1702
Abstract
Green peas, with their high moisture content, require effective drying techniques to extend shelf life while preserving quality. Traditional drying methods face challenges due to the dense structure of the seed coat and wax layer, which limits moisture migration. This study investigates cold [...] Read more.
Green peas, with their high moisture content, require effective drying techniques to extend shelf life while preserving quality. Traditional drying methods face challenges due to the dense structure of the seed coat and wax layer, which limits moisture migration. This study investigates cold plasma (CP) pretreatment as a novel approach to enhance drying kinetics and maintain the quality attributes of green peas. The results showed that CP treatment significantly improves drying efficiency by modifying the pea epidermis microstructure, reducing drying time by up to 18.18%. The moisture effective diffusivity coefficients (Deff) for untreated and CP-pretreated green peas were calculated to range from 5.9629 to 9.9172 × 10−10 m2·s−1, with CP pretreatment increasing Deff by up to 66.31% compared to the untreated group. Optimal CP parameters (90 s, 750 Hz frequency, 70% duty cycle) were found to improve the rehydration ratio, preserve color, and increase total phenolic content (TPC) by 24.06%, while enhancing antioxidant activity by 29.64%. Microstructural changes, including pore formation and increased surface roughness, as observed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), partially explain the enhanced moisture diffusion, improved rehydration, and alterations in nutrient content. These findings underscore the potential of CP technology as a non-thermal, eco-friendly pretreatment for drying agricultural products, with broad applications in food preservation and quality enhancement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermal and Non-Thermal Processing: Focus on Food Quality Changes)
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15 pages, 4389 KiB  
Article
Visualization of Moisture Content, Reducing Sugars, and Chewiness in Bread During Oral Processing Based on Hyperspectral Imaging Technology
by Xiaoyu Tian, Qin Fang, Xiaorui Zhang, Shanshan Yu, Chunxia Dai and Xingyi Huang
Foods 2024, 13(22), 3589; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13223589 - 10 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1585
Abstract
This study evaluated the differences in oral processing and texture perception of breads with varying compositions. The research investigated the dynamic changes in moisture content (MC), reducing sugars (RSs), and chewiness of the bolus formed from white bread (B0) and 50% whole-wheat bread [...] Read more.
This study evaluated the differences in oral processing and texture perception of breads with varying compositions. The research investigated the dynamic changes in moisture content (MC), reducing sugars (RSs), and chewiness of the bolus formed from white bread (B0) and 50% whole-wheat bread (B50) during oral processing. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) combined with chemometric methods was used to establish quantitative prediction models for MC, RSs, and chewiness, and to create visual distribution maps of these parameters. The results showed that B0 had a higher moisture content and a faster hydration rate than B50 during the initial stages of oral processing, indicating greater hydrophilicity and ease of saliva wetting. Additionally, the uniformity of moisture distribution in the bolus of B0 was higher than that of B50. B50 exhibited significantly lower RSs content and poorer distribution uniformity compared to B0. The primary differences in chewiness between the two types of bread were observed during the early stages of oral processing, with B50 requiring more chewing effort initially. This study demonstrated that HSI technology can effectively monitor and elucidate the compositional changes in food particles during oral processing, providing new insights into bread texture perception and offering a scientific basis for improving bread processing and texture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermal and Non-Thermal Processing: Focus on Food Quality Changes)
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18 pages, 7010 KiB  
Article
Quality Evaluation and Heat and Mass Transfer Mechanism of Microwave Vacuum Drying of Astragalus Roots
by Yuanman Yue, Qian Zhang, Guojun Ma, Fangxin Wan, Zepeng Zang, Yanrui Xu, Futai Kang and Xiaopeng Huang
Foods 2024, 13(19), 3075; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193075 - 26 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1033
Abstract
In this research, the objective was to optimize the drying process of Astragalus by investigating the effects of microwave vacuum drying parameters, including temperature (30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 °C) and slice thickness (2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm). In addition, [...] Read more.
In this research, the objective was to optimize the drying process of Astragalus by investigating the effects of microwave vacuum drying parameters, including temperature (30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 °C) and slice thickness (2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm). In addition, utilizing COMSOL 6.0 finite element analysis software, we delved into the distribution of heat and moisture during the drying process. The results revealed that drying temperature played a significantly greater role than slice thickness in determining the drying dynamics. The thermal and mass transfer mechanism indicated that the whole drying process conforms to the microwave radiation mechanism and the basic principle of electromagnetic heating. In the case of low temperatures and thinner slice sizes, the more polysaccharide content was retained; The total phenol content peaked when the slice thickness was 5 mm; The increase of slice thickness was not conducive to the retention of total flavonoids content. The potent antioxidant capacity was detected at a temperature of 40 °C, with slice thickness having a negligible effect on this capacity; Low temperatures were beneficial for the preservation of active ingredients. Compared with the scanning electron microscope, the structure appeared more uniform at a temperature of 50 °C. Based on the analysis of the kinetic characteristics of microwave vacuum drying of Astragalus and the quality achieved under various drying conditions, the results of the study can provide valuable guidance for controlling the quality of microwave vacuum drying of Astragalus under different drying requirements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermal and Non-Thermal Processing: Focus on Food Quality Changes)
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