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Processes
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Processing Foods: Process Optimization and Quality Assessment, 4th Edition
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Processing Foods: Process Optimization and Quality Assessment, 4th Edition

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Process Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 1936

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Péter Sipos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Doctoral School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
Interests: food technology; rheology; quality of plant origin foods and raw materials; automation in food processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Milivoj Radojčin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, 21102 Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: food processing; drying; physical properties; rheology; energy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There are several new and long-standing demands in the food industry—our foodstuffs have to be delicious, attractive, nourishing, and rich in bioactive and health-promoting components and have a long shelf-life. The processes of food technology have a huge impact on these properties, and there are several situations where the producer has to choose between quality, cost, simplicity, or options available in the plant. This Special Issue focuses on the effect of different processes, such as heat treatment, separation, size reduction, mixing, chemical and enzymatic treatments, and fermentation, on the different quality attributes of foods and provides information for their optimization, considering their cost, environmental and health relations, and sustainability. New applications of informatics and unit operations that can be applied in quality assurance (e.g., sensor techniques for measurement and blockchain techniques for traceability) are also welcome.

Dr. Péter Sipos
Dr. Milivoj Radojčin
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Processes 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 2400 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

  • unit operations
  • processing technologies
  • optimization
  • food quality
  • nutrition
  • traceability
  • sustainability

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 1062 KB  
Article
Chia Seed Gel Powder as a Clean-Label Enhancer of Texture, Physicochemical Quality, Antioxidant Activity, and Prebiotic Function in Probiotic Low-Fat Yogurt
by Mahmoud E. A. Hamouda, Ratul Kalita, Abdelfatah K. Ali, Pratibha Chaudhary, Pramith U. Don, Omar A. A. Abdelsater, Anjali Verma and Yaser Elderwy
Processes 2026, 14(1), 145; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr14010145 - 31 Dec 2025
Viewed by 1188
Abstract
This study evaluated the effect of incorporating chia seed gel powder (CSGP) as a natural, clean-label stabilizer on the physicochemical, functional, microbiological, microstructural, antioxidant, and sensory properties of probiotic low-fat yogurt (PLFY) during 21 days of refrigerated storage. Six formulations were prepared using [...] Read more.
This study evaluated the effect of incorporating chia seed gel powder (CSGP) as a natural, clean-label stabilizer on the physicochemical, functional, microbiological, microstructural, antioxidant, and sensory properties of probiotic low-fat yogurt (PLFY) during 21 days of refrigerated storage. Six formulations were prepared using 0–2.5% CSGP, including Control (0% CSGP), YOG1 (0.5% CSGP), YOG2 (1.0% CSGP), YOG3 (1.5% CSGP), YOG4 (2.0% CSGP), and YOG5 (2.5% CSGP). Results showed that increasing CSGP levels noticeably enhanced the total solids, protein content, viscosity, hardness, and water-holding capacity of the PLFY (p < 0.05), while consistently reducing syneresis. Antioxidant activity also rose with higher CSGP concentrations, with YOG5 exhibiting the greatest DPPH scavenging activity (35.12%). Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed a denser and more uniform protein network in PLFY fortified with CSGP, consistent with rheological measurements showing increased storage (G′) and loss (G″) moduli. Probiotic viability significantly increased (p < 0.05) in CSGP-added samples, indicating a potential prebiotic effect of CSGP. Sensory results demonstrated that although higher CSGP levels slightly darkened the yogurt color, body, texture, flavor, and total sensory scores improved markedly, with YOG5 gaining the highest total score (81.77). The results demonstrate that CSGP acts as a highly effective, multifunctional ingredient that enhances texture, stability, probiotic viability, and antioxidant capacity, making it a strong clean-label candidate for developing high-quality, functional probiotic low-fat yogurt. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Processing Foods: Process Optimization and Quality Assessment, 4th Edition)
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Review

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28 pages, 1049 KB  
Review
Ultrasound-Assisted Vacuum Drying in Foods: Mechanisms, Quality Attributes, and Industrial Potential
by Ahmet Buyukyavuz, Barış Yalınkılıç, Mehmet Başlar and Paul L. Dawson
Processes 2026, 14(7), 1096; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr14071096 - 28 Mar 2026
Viewed by 468
Abstract
Ultrasound-assisted vacuum drying (USVD) has emerged as an increasingly studied food drying approach to overcome mass and energy transfer limitations associated with conventional vacuum drying. This study aims to clarify the behavior of the USVD process by synthesizing findings from product- and condition-specific [...] Read more.
Ultrasound-assisted vacuum drying (USVD) has emerged as an increasingly studied food drying approach to overcome mass and energy transfer limitations associated with conventional vacuum drying. This study aims to clarify the behavior of the USVD process by synthesizing findings from product- and condition-specific studies. This review critically examines 38 core USVD studies published between 2014 and 2025, complemented by related comparative research, to assess the effects of USVD on drying efficiency, product quality, and key process parameters across diverse food matrices. The reviewed literature consistently demonstrates that USVD enhances drying kinetics, with increases in drying rate reaching approximately 94%, depending on product characteristics and operating conditions. Due to shorter drying times, USVD also provides potential economic advantages through reduced energy costs, equipment utilization and overall process costs. Furthermore, research has found that USVD retains quality attributes including color and bioactivity of a wide range of foods. USVD-dried products commonly exhibit improved microstructural integrity and enhanced porosity, which imparts superior rehydration. In conclusion, this study highlights the strong potential of USVD to enhance drying efficiency while preserving product quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Processing Foods: Process Optimization and Quality Assessment, 4th Edition)
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