Combined Sonication and Pulsed Electric Field for Food Processing - a State of the Art Review

Non-thermal advanced technologies, such as ultrasound (US) and pulsed electric fields (PEF), have attracted increasing interest in functional food processing, particularly when combined, as they are more energy-efficient, simple, environmentally friendly, consistent, and effective in terms of product quality and microbial decontamination, due to their additive or synergistic effects. This review examines current applications involving the combined use of US and PEF in extraction, drying, frying, and the processing of solid and liquid foods. The relevant mechanisms, effects of reaction conditions and sequence order on yields and types of compounds, microstructures, functional properties, antioxidant capacities, and related aspects are discussed in detail. The combination of US and PEF greatly accelerates water diffusion, as well as mass and heat transfer, thereby significantly increasing extraction yield, shortening drying times, reducing harmful acrylamide formation, improving frying kinetics, and effectively inactivating microorganisms and enzymes in liquid foodstuffs.