Application of ultrasound technique in food processing

One of the modern techniques used in ultrasound is composed of sound waves with frequency beyond the limit of human hearing. Ultrasound techniques are relatively cheap, simple and energy saving. Low-intensity ultrasound is a non-destructive technique that provides information about physicochemical properties, such as composition, structure, physical state and flow rate. High-intensity ultrasound is used to alter, either physically or chemically, the properties of foods, for example to generate emulsions, disrupt cells, promote chemical reactions, inactivation microorganisms, tenderize meat and modify crystallization processes. Ultrasonic waves at high intensity alone can destroy the cell walls of microbes but when it is combined with a rapid thermal process for sterilizing foods to improve. Ultrasonic processing is still in its infancy and requires a great deal of future research in order to develop the technology on an industrial scale, and to more fully elucidate the effect of ultrasound on the properties of foods.