Advancements in Non-Thermal Processing Technologies for Enhancing Safety and Quality of Infant and Baby Food Products: A Review
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Date
2024-09
Open Access Location
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI (Basel, Switzerland)
Rights
(c) 2024 The Author/s
CC BY 4.0
CC BY 4.0
Abstract
Breast milk is the main source of nutrition during early life, but both infant formulas (Ifs; up to 12 months) and baby foods (BFs; up to 3 years) are also important for providing essential nutrients. The infant food industry rigorously controls for potential physical, biological, and chemical hazards. Although thermal treatments are commonly used to ensure food safety in IFs and BFs, they can negatively affect sensory qualities, reduce thermosensitive nutrients, and lead to chemical contaminant formation. To address these challenges, non-thermal processing technologies such as high-pressure processing, pulsed electric fields, radio frequency, and ultrasound offer efficient pathogen destruction similar to traditional thermal methods, while reducing the production of key process-induced toxicants such as furan and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (HMF). These alternative thermal processes aim to overcome the drawbacks of traditional methods while retaining their advantages. This review paper highlights the growing global demand for healthy, sustainable foods, driving food manufacturers to adopt innovative and efficient processing techniques for both IFs and BFs. Based on various studies reviewed for this work, the application of these novel technologies appears to reduce thermal processing intensity, resulting in products with enhanced sensory properties, comparable shelf life, and improved visual appeal compared to conventionally processed products.
Description
Keywords
baby foods, food safety, functional foods, infant formulas, non-thermal processing, nutrition, probiotics, quality control
Citation
Pasdar N, Mostashari P, Greiner R, Khelfa A, Rashidinejad A, Eshpari H, Vale JM, Gharibzahedi SMT, Roohinejad S. (2024). Advancements in Non-Thermal Processing Technologies for Enhancing Safety and Quality of Infant and Baby Food Products: A Review.. Foods. 13. 17. (pp. 2659-).