MECHANISMS OF ULTRASOUND INFLUENCE ON THE QUALITY OF WHEAT FLOUR AND FLOUR PRODUCTS

Introduction. The food industry requires environmentally friendly and efficient processing technologies that positively affect the quality of the final product. Ultrasound, as a non-thermal physical processing technology, has become a promising solution for regulating the quality of flour products through cavitation, mechanical effects, and a mild thermal effect. The aim of this work was to systematize the multi-scale mechanisms of ultrasound influence on the quality of wheat flour and flour products, as well as to analyze synergistic composite technologies based on it. Materials and methods. The materials for the review were scientific publications from 2018 to 2026, indexed in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The search was conducted using the keywords: "ultrasound", "acoustic cavitation", "wheat flour", "gluten", "starch", "dough rheology", "synergistic processing". Additionally, publications in Russian were analyzed in the eLIBRARY. RU electronic library. Results. A review of scientific studies has established that the effect of ultrasound on the quality of flour products should be considered as a cascade process covering molecular, micro-, and macroscopic levels. At the molecular level, ultrasound provides dynamic water redistribution, rearranges the conformation of gluten protein, and modifies the crystalline structure of starch. At the micro level, protein–starch interfacial interactions are enhanced, and the structure of the dough colloidal system is optimized. At the macroscopic level, the rheological and textural properties of the dough are improved, and bidirectional precise regulation of fermentation kinetics is ensured based on power density gradients. Furthermore, the synergistic mechanisms of quality improvement by ultrasonic composite technologies in combination with high pressure, microwave radiation, enzymatic treatment, and freezing have been revealed. It has been shown that in composite systems, ultrasound acts as a structural sensitizer and process intensifier. Discussion. An analysis of scientific publications shows that, despite the progress achieved, modern research faces challenges such as insufficient real-time characterization of molecules, pronounced industrial scaling effects, and the preliminary nature of studies on environmentally friendly flour products. Priority directions for future work have been identified: the development of in situ monitoring methods for structural transformations, standardization of ultrasound processing parameters taking into account power density gradients, and a comprehensive assessment of the safety and nutritional value of products obtained using ultrasound. Conclusions. The review provides a theoretical basis and technical reference information for environmentally friendly, precise, and intelligent processing of flour products and may be useful for specialists in the flour milling industry.