Global Journal of Biology, Agriculture & Health Sciences

Abstract

IMPACT OF NON-THERMAL PROCESSING ON THE MICROBIAL AND BIOACTIVE CONTENT OF FOODS

Hussain SOROUR; Fumihiko TANAKA;Toshitake UCHINO3

Over the past few decades, consumers have been increasingly demanding high-quality, minimally processed food. These requests, coupled with the inadequacy of traditional food processing technologies, have been the driving forces behind improvements in existing technologies and for the development of new food preservation technologies, such as high-intensity pulsed electric field, pulsed white light, UV-C light, ozone and ultraviolet irradiation. The majorities of these technologies are locally clean processes and therefore appear to be more environmentally friendly and have less environmental impact than the traditional ones. Non-thermal treatments have the potential to be an alternative to conventional techniques for food production. Several researchers have investigated how intense processing impacts the safety and shelf life of food. In addition, novel applications are under development, such as the improvement of mass transfer processes or the generation of bioactive compounds by using moderate field strengths. However, the impacts of non-thermal processes on the minor constituents of foods, such as bioactive compounds, have not been emphasized. This review aims to summarize the current understanding of the impact of non-thermal processes, such as pulsed electric field, pulsed white light, UV-C light, ozone and ultraviolet irradiation, on the stability of inactivate microorganisms and spoilage enzymes and on the nutritional and quality parameters of food.

Published Date: 2013-10-12;