Introduction
Thermosonication is a form of energy generated by sound waves of frequencies greater than 20 kHz. It is a non-thermal processing technique that combines the method of thermosonication and heat. The process applies ultra-sound and moderate heat simultaneously to the food products. When coupled with thermal treatment, the process increases the levels of microbial kill. This treatment method can multiply the extent of food safety without changes in the basic attributes of the food.
Decoding Thermosonication: The ‘Next Gen’ Food Safety Net
Thermosonication sterilizes food by inactivating microorganisms without minimizing changes to the organoleptic properties of foods. This process enjoys several advantages over thermal treatment. It leads to minimal flavor loss, significant energy savings, and greater homogeneity in treated food products. Further, apart from microbial activation, food processors use this novel and nascent technology in enzyme inactivation.
How Does the Process Eliminate the Microbes?
The process relies on heat and cavitation phenomenon which causes the formation, growth, and explosion of bubbles in a liquid. The process results in implosion during which very high temperatures (approximately 5000 K) and pressures (estimated at 50000 kPa) are reached inside bubbles formed in the food products at the molecular level. It leads to disruption of the cell wall of micro-organisms causing their death.
Significance of Thermosonication Over Thermal Processing
Time Efficient
When the process of thermosonication is coupled with heat, it minimizes the time required for pasteurization or sterilization.
Cost and Energy Efficient
It is a sustainable method to reduce the microbial load. It saves both cost and energy because of lower heat requirement than the thermal method. Further, this process does not need sophisticated machinery and a wide range of technologies cutting the cost of equipment used in other processes of food processing.
Maintaining Food Properties
The process is more sustainable in terms of maintaining food properties as compared to thermal treatment.
Non-Toxic Preservation
Thermosonication waves used in the process are non-toxic, safe, and environmentally friendly.
Shelf Life Extension
The process helps to extend the shelf life of liquid food like highly perishable fruit juices. These are among the categories of food products that are thermally sensitive to chemical, physical, and microbiological changes. This technology checks the loss of some nutritional compounds loss such as flavonoids and carotenoids.
Other Applications of Thermosonication
Food Processors use the process of thermosonication for many purposes such as analysis methods and freezing, cutting, drying, tempering, homogenization, degassing, antifoaming, filtration, and extraction of food products.
Conclusion
The increasing burden of food-borne disease has sought newer innovations from the food processing industry in terms of food safety. While the traditional thermal treatment has various limitations in terms of losing properties such as taste, color, and texture, the process of thermosonication with low temperature maintains the inherent properties of the food. Hence, this nascent technology can revolutionize the food processing industry.