Advances in mass transfer and fluid flows in non-thermal food processing industry: a review

All around the world, food processing techniques make use of various kinds of treatments to improve the shelf-life of foods. The commonly used thermal treatments are likely to result in deteriorating the sensory as well as nutritional qualities of foods. However, consumers are now demanding for safer and cleaner food without needing to compromise on the quality. Owing to the evolving nature of consumer demands, food technologists and others in the agro-food chain have devised processes to meet these changing demands by considering new non-thermal food processing techniques, which achieve microbiological inactivation in food materials without the application of heat directly. This review provides an appraisal on certain non-thermal food processing technologies with a focus on their operational mechanisms and success in the preservation of numerous kinds of food and offers an outline on the developments in non-thermal food processing techniques used in the food industry to enhance mass transfers. Increase in mass transfer is of industrial interest owing to a reduction in operation time. Use of a faster mass transfer velocity in the process produces multiple benefits, such as an increase in productivity, the preservation of physiological and nutritional value of food components, and a reduction in economic costs. The review demonstrates that techniques such as Pulsed Electric Field, Ultrasonication and Supercritical technology are viable treatments for enhancing mass transfer in the food processing industries. Graphical Abstract: