The rise of non-thermal food processingtechnology

In recent years, in order to maximize themaintenance of food nutritional value, the food industry continues to seek newtechnology development and application, the use of a series of non-thermalprocessing technology and equipment, in-depth study of food processing from thetraditional "hot processing" to "cold processing" of changeand innovation. Explore low-temperature technology to ensure product qualityand safety, to achieve sustainable development of the industry.

With the improvement of living standardsand the development of the food processing industry, people are concerned aboutfood safety, while the requirements for food nutrition is also increasing.Conventional heat sterilization technology will affect the nutritional andsensory quality of food, and may even produce acrylamide, furan and other toxicand harmful substances. Ultrahigh-pressure, irradiation, ultrasonic,ultraviolet, ozone, low-temperature plasma and other non-thermal sterilizationtechnology to avoid the limitations of thermal sterilization, gradually gainingattention. However, non-thermal sterilization technologies such as ultraviolet,ultrasonic, and ozone usually require 20-60 minutes of processing toeffectively reduce the number of microorganisms, which is time-consuming andlabor-intensive, while ultra-high-pressure sterilization can only be used withflexible packaging materials, limiting the form of packaging.

Low-temperature plasma technology, as a newnon-thermal food processing technology, has greater potential for applicationin the food field. Low-temperature plasma is an active material such ashigh-energy electrons, excited state particles, reactive oxygen and reactivenitrogen generated mainly by gas discharge at atmospheric pressure and ambienttemperature. Low-temperature plasma technology has a better killing effect on avariety of microorganisms in different foods, with high efficiency, rapid, noresidue, and low temperature. As an emerging cold sterilization technology,low-temperature plasma has a killing effect on various pathogenic and spoilagemicroorganisms present in food. The high-energy charged particles, activesubstances and ultraviolet light produced will destroy the cell membranes,proteins, nucleic acids, enzymes and other macromolecules in microorganisms,thus inhibiting the growth and reproduction of microorganisms and eventuallyinactivating them. The high-energy particles and active substances it producescan not only kill the microorganisms present in food and be used for foodpreservation, but also reduce pesticide residues, improve food processingcharacteristics and remove the odors present in food.