Juan A Gallego-Juarez
CSIC
Spain
Title: Ultrasonic energy in food technology: Novel applications and devices
Biography
Biography: Juan A Gallego-Juarez
Abstract
The application of power ultrasound to food processing constitutes an emerging and promising alternative or complement to conventional technologies due to special features and sustainable character of ultrasonic energy. High-intensity ultrasound as a mechanical non-contaminant non-ionizing radiation plays an important role in the search for safer and higher quality products. The Power Ultrasonics Group of the CSIC and PUSONICS SL has worked together towards introducing novel systems and methods for food processing. Airborne ultrasonic devices have been investigated and developed for gas and multiphase fluid treatments. Specific applications studied are defoaming, drying and supercritical fluid extraction. Foam is generally an unwanted by-product in food processes. Chemical anti-foaming agents are used but contaminate products. Ultrasonic energy constitutes a clean and efficient procedure to break foam. Drying is used for preserving food. Conventional procedures are hot-air drying and freeze-drying. Hot air drying can produce deteriorative changes in food. Instead, in freeze-drying the product quality is maintained but is expensive. Ultrasound is effective in dewatering food maintaining quality. Moreover, ultrasound has a great potential to intensify low temperature drying. Supercritical fluid extraction is attracting wide interest but has slow dynamics. Tests carried out for oils extractions showed that ultrasound accelerates mass transfer significantly enhancing product yield. Homogenization, mixing, emulsification and degassing of liquids by ultrasound have also been investigated. These studies lead to the development of efficient ultrasonic systems for liquid processing.
