Emerging role of ultrasound in food technology: principles, applications, and future prospects

Ultrasound technology has developed to be a versatile and sustainable technology in new food processing and preservation methods. Ultrasound, which is based on the principles of acoustic cavitation and mechanical vibrations, can improve mass and heat transfer, ramping up processing times and improve the quality of products. The main application of low intensity ultrasound is the analytical and quality checks in food systems while high intensity ultrasound is more common in food systems for emulsification, extraction, homogenization, drying, freezing and microbial inactivation. As it is a nonthermal approach, ultrasound is safe for food systems to follow nutritional and sensory characteristics, making it a green processing technology versus conventional methods. Advances in ultrasonic equipment design and combined use with other elegant technologies like pulsed electric fields, high pressure processing and nanotechnology have led to a broader industrial application. Although the advantages are promising, aspects of scalability, energy efficiency, and uniform energy distribution are important areas for research moving forward. This review provides various applications, fundamental principles of ultrasound in food science with a focus on improving energy efficiency, product safety and sustainability.