Ultrasonic applications in Red Meat - Literature review

Summary

Background
A variety of novel technologies are emerging for the enhancement of processing efficiency, shelf-life, safety and functional properties of food products. These technologies include ultra-high pressure processing, the use of pulsed electric fields, supercritical fluid extraction, microfluidisation and ultra-violet light treatment. The use of ultrasound has been identified as a particularly promising technology for processing specific food materials. The increased availability of efficient large scale continuous flow through ultrasonic systems over the last decade has facilitated this technology to move from the laboratory into fully operational commercial food processes throughout Europe and the USA. Ultrasonic processing is establishing itself as a significant food- processing technology with the capability for large commercial scale-up and good payback on capital investment. ​
Ultrasonic processing involves the application of sound waves at a frequency beyond thatof human hearing. This approach is gaining increasing acceptance in the food industry ascommercial scale continuous flow ultrasonic units become available and because of itsperception as a benign technology. Ultrasound causes a range of physical effects thatgenerally promote turbulence within a system. However, it acts preferentially at surfacesand phase boundaries which means that it can play a particularly important role inenhancing rates of heat and mass transfer. Ultrasound is used routinely in the meatindustry for cutting applications and as an imaging tool.
Project activities
This review first provided a short introduction to acoustic cavitation and the broad principles of ultrasonic processing. A detailed account was then presented of the documented use of ultrasound technology in meat processing and other potential uses not yet fully explored.