Advances in Non-thermal Food Processing Technology: A Review

Food processing and preservation methods play a vital role in extending shelf life and ensuring the quality of food for human consumption. Traditional methods, which involve high temperatures and pressures, have been widely employed for food safety and preservation. However, these methods often affect the sensory attributes of food and also the nutritional values. Moreover, the prolonged processing times associated with, lead to the generation of harmful components. Several research studies have been employed in recent years to find an alternative process to the conventional processing of food, which will be accomplished at low temperature, short processing time, ensuring microbial decontamination, enzyme inhibition, and yet retaining the nutritional values of food such as flavours, colours, textures and sensory attributes. Non-thermal food processing becomes the only viable option. These processes involve ultrasound (US), high hydrostatic pressure (HPP), ultraviolet light, pulsed electric fields (PEF), non-thermal /cold plasma (NTP), irradiation, ohmic heating, ozone, etc. The present study aims to review the application of non-thermal processing in food processing and preservation technology. A systematic approach was used in analysing papers obtained from different search engines.