Importance and Applications of Ultrasonic Technology to Improve Food Quality

Abstract

Nutritional value and quality of food products are very important for a healthy life of human beings. Various modern thermal and non-thermal application technologies such as pulsed light, pulsed electric field, high and low hydrostatic pressure, microwave, ohmic heating have been used to improve food products characteristics. In recent years, ultrasonic applications have been used for food processing. The ultrasonic is defined as sound waves with a frequency exceeding the human hearing limit. Based on the frequency range of ultrasonic waves, can be used in many industrial applications including the processing of food. Applications of high power ultrasonic low-frequency aim to improve the quality of food products. Low power ultrasonic high-frequency applications are used for nondestructive quality evaluation of physicochemical properties of food. The most important advantages of ultrasonic technologies are the low cost of food processing, low power consumption, simple compared to other technologies, suitable for the treatment of solid and liquid food, and environmentally safe and friendly thus became a promising technology for monitoring and improving quality of food products. The main objective of this chapter is to provide an overview of the principle and recent applications of ultrasonic waves to improve food products quality.