Design and Optimization of Innovative Food Processing Techniques Assisted by Ultrasound

Design and Optimization of Innovative Food Processing Techniques Assisted by Ultrasound

Developing Healthier and Sustainable Food Products
2021, Pages 217-273
Design and Optimization of Innovative Food Processing Techniques Assisted by Ultrasound

9 - Improvement of freezing processes assisted by ultrasound

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818275-8.00001-5Get rights and content

Abstract

This chapter presents the mechanism of the enhancement of freezing by means of ultrasound (US). It has been demonstrated that the effects of US are a rather complex issue. In theory, ultrasound creates cavitation bubbles throughout the volume of the product, which promotes nucleation of the ice and crushes the crystals already present in food. They can also enhance convective heat transfer to the cooling media, thereby accelerating freezing. Moreover, it has been shown that ultrasound reduces the degree of supercooling before nucleation in frozen food. Additionally, numerous experimental studies indicate that ultrasound assisted freezing is a good method to achieve homogenous crystallizations, reduce the deteriorating effect of freezing on food, and thus improve quality after thawing.

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Cited by (4)

  • The impact of ultrasound-assisted thawing on the bioactive components in juices obtained from blue honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea L.)

    2022, Ultrasonics Sonochemistry
    Citation Excerpt :

    Freezing is an essential part of the processing of seasonal raw materials that are harvested within a very short period of time, which gives more production flexibility. It was proven that ultrasound applied during freezing contributed to shorter process, better bioactive compounds’ retention and more fresh-like quality (especially texture is greatly preserved) than freezing alone mainly due to lower and evenly distributed crystals created as a consequence of higher freezing rate and lower supercooling [6]. Many publications show the beneficial effect of using ultrasound (sometimes together with mild temperature) during juice processing on microbiological safety, increased stability during storage (due to e.g. enzyme inactivation) and greater stability or increased level of bioactive compounds [1,21].

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