Assisted ultrasound applications for the production of safe foods

Abstract

SummaryUltrasound requires high power and longer treatment times to inactivate microorganisms when compared to ultrasound combined with other technologies. Previous reports have shown that the effectiveness of ultrasound as a decontamination technology can be increased by combining it with another treatment such as pressure, heat and antimicrobial solutions. Assisted ultrasound, the combination of ultrasound with another technology, is more energy efficient, and it has less impact on the food properties. In this review paper, the power ultrasound antimicrobial mechanisms of action, the antimicrobial effects of ultrasound in combination with other physical processes and antimicrobial solutions are comprehensively discussed. Furthermore, the present interest on using these technologies as alternative processing and decontamination methods is presented. Research outputs on the application of ultrasound combined with physical processes are showcased including applications of thermosonication, manosonication, manothermosonication and osmosonication. Antimicrobial efficacy, energy requirements and optimal operation conditions of the different assisted ultrasound technologies are critically discussed, and their impact on the food industry for future applications is presented. Overall, this review paper highlights the importance and recent developments of assisted ultrasound for enhancing food safety.

Antimicrobial Chitosan Nanodroplets: new Insights for Ultrasound-Mediated Adjuvant Treatment of Skin Infection

“…A number of methods have been proposed to overcome the natural barrier function of the skin, including future science group www.futuremedicine.com skin patches, ionophoresis, use of chemical enhancers and US-triggered sonophoresis [11]. Interestingly, antimicrobial properties have been reported for US, although its effectiveness strongly varies depending on the targeted type of pathogen (fungi vs bacteria; cocci vs bacilli and Gram-positive vs Gram-negative, among others) [36].…”

Fruit juice sonication: Implications on food safety and physicochemical and nutritional properties

“…Apart from the physical aspects, chemical phenomena, such as the formation of reactive species and free radicals, act on the cell envelope by disrupting the cell walls, thus allowing the cell lysis (Sango, Abela, Mcelhatton, & Valdramidis, 2014). Reports on US-induced cell damage show that ruptured and disintegrated cells cannot be revived, which corresponds to an advantage over other nonthermal food processing methods.…”

Determination of the efficacy of ultrasound combined with essential oils on the decontamination of Salmonella inoculated lettuce leaves

“…However, ultrasound alone is not very effective in inactivating bacteria on food (Piyasena, Mohareb, & Mckellar, 2003). Ultrasound can be combined with other decontamination technologies for enhancing microbial inactivation (Sango, Abela, McElhatton, & Valdramidis, 2014). The effect of cavitation generated by the ultrasound appeared to enhance the removal of attached or entrapped cells on the surfaces of fresh produce, rendering the bacteria more susceptible to antimicrobial sanitizers (Seymour, Burfoot, Smith, Cox, & Lockwood, 2002).…”