Microwave Processing: Current Background and Effects on the Physicochemical and Microbiological Aspects of Dairy Products

Abstract

Overheating is still a major problem in the use of conventional heating for milk and various dairy products, because it leads to the lowering of quality and sensory and nutritional values. Microwave (MW) heating has been credited with providing superior‐quality dairy‐based products with extended shelf‐life, representing a good alternative to conventional heat treatment. The main drawback of MW heating refers to nonuniform temperature distribution, resulting in hot and cold spots mainly in solid and semisolid products; however, MW heating has been shown to be suitable for liquid foods, especially in a continuous fluid system. This review aims to describe the main factors and parameters necessary for the application of MW heating technology for dairy processing, considering the theoretical fundamentals and its effects on quality and safety aspects of milk and dairy products. MW heating has demonstrated great ability for the destruction of pathogenic/spoilage microorganisms and their spores, and also inactivation of enzymes, thereby preserving fresh characteristics of dairy products.

Microwave assisted drying and extraction technique; kinetic modelling, energy consumption and influence on antioxidant compounds of fenugreek leaves

“…Fenugreek leaves are usually dried for further use by various methods i.e. sun drying (Shrivastava & Kumar, 2016), Solar drying (Navale et al, 2014;Shrivastava & Kumar, 2016;Singh et al, 2004), hot air drying (Bishnoi et al, 2016;Kalaskar et al, 2012), freeze drying (Kushwaha & Mustafa, 2012), convective drying (Jawake et al, 2017), fluidized bed drying (Jawake et al, 2018) and microwave based drying (Borda-Yepes et al, 2019;Hihat et al, 2017;Khan et al, 2016;Martins et al, 2019;Monton et al, 2019b).…”

Influence of microwave processing on the bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity and sensory acceptance of blackberry jelly

“…The jelly microwave processing can be an interesting processing option because, due to the faster heating, the product will be less exposed time to heat (Leonelli et al, 2013). The microwaves are absorbed by the water molecules, sugars and fats contained in the food and so the heat is generated inside the product causing less sensorial and nutritional losses (Espinosa et al, 2017;Martins et al, 2019). The vacuum is another technique that can contribute to minimizing the oxidation reactions during the processing, since the process occurs in the absence of oxygen (Araújo, 2004).…”

Extraction of protein from food waste: An overview of current status and opportunities

“…Martins et al. (2019) highlight that the reason of nonuniform temperature distribution mainly in a heterogeneous food matrix system is the obstruction of ions, resulting in reduced conductivity. In other words, hot and cold regions are formed within the food matrix system, allowing irregular and uncontrolled degradation much like thawing of frozen food (Ryynänen, 1995).…”