Artificial intelligence (AI) has embodied the recent technology in the food industry over the past few decades due to the rising of food demands in line with the increasing of the world population. The capability of the said intelligent systems in various tasks such as food quality determination, control tools, classification of food, and prediction purposes has intensified their demand in the food industry. Therefore, this paper reviews those diverse applications in comparing their advantages, limitations, and formulations as a guideline for selecting the most appropriate methods in enhancing future AI- and food industry–related developments. Furthermore, the integration of this system with other devices such as electronic nose, electronic tongue, computer vision system, and near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) is also emphasized, all of which will benefit both the industry players and consumers.

Dietary fiber (DF) is a promising group of compounds that provides several techno-functionalities to foods. Plant-food materials, as well as fruit and vegetable by-products generated from the agricultural industry, can be utilized to obtain DF-based techno-functional ingredients. DF compounds are usually extracted and modified with thermal, enzymatic, and chemical treatments. However, these methods require high temperatures, the use of chemical reagents, long extraction times, and usually result in the production of low extraction yields. In this context, ultrasound (US)-assisted extraction (UAE) has proved to increase the extraction yield of different polysaccharides, as well as showing a significant reduction in the processing times and energy consumption. US power, frequency, temperature, residence time, and the sample-solvent interaction (SL; solid–liquid ratio) are the variables that must be considered for the success of UAE applications. Additionally, US can modify polysaccharide structures, producing changes in techno-functional properties such as water holding capacity, swelling capacity, oil holding capacity, and rheological properties, among other characteristics. These properties can improve DF applications and result in new attributes of interest for the food industry. This work aims to present advances and recent studies comparing UAE and conventional extraction methods for specific fiber compounds from fiber-rich by-products not only to evaluate the extraction yield and processing variables but also to compare the composition and techno-functionality of the extracted compounds and their benefits in food applications that can contribute to future utilization of US in the food industry.

High pressure processing (HPP) is an emerging non-thermal food processing technology, which inhibits pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms without significantly compromising the nutritional and organoleptic quality of the food. Flexible petroleum-based materials are often selected as packaging for HPP food, but they pose great threats to the environment. Packagings based on biopolymers are proposed as promising alternatives to address the associated environmental issues. Some studies have investigated the effect of HPP on the morphology, mechanical, thermal, and mass transport properties of the biopolymers. Therefore, it is important to consolidate available information and provide a better understanding of the effects of HPP parameters and the time it applied in the material fabrication process. The main objective of this study is to make a critical literature review on the performance change of biopolymer packaging materials undergoing HPP treatments before and after film-forming and the current knowledge of the effects of different processing conditions on their properties, making the use of biopolymer-based films for HPP food packaging applications feasible.

Starch-based hydrogels are natural polymeric structures of high scientific interest in the food, pharma, and cosmetic sectors. In this work, the effects of the starch source (rice, corn, wheat, and tapioca starch) and processing time (600 MPa for 5 and 15 min) on gel formation and on the physical characteristics of the structures formed were evaluated. At the pressure level utilized, all the starches were completely gelatinized regardless of the processing time tested. The hydrogels obtained displayed a shear-thinning and gel-like behavior (G' > G). HPP, under the processing conditions tested, was more effective in producing hydrogels based on tapioca and rice than on corn and wheat starch. Rice, wheat, and corn starch HPP hydrogels showed a cream-like structure, whereas those based on tapioca starch evidenced a more compact structure. With a HPP processing time of 15 min, tapioca and rice starch HPP hydrogels displayed higher viscosity, G', and firmness, suggesting an overall structural reinforcement. However, with 15 min of processing time, the lightness and whiteness of rice, wheat, and corn starch HPP hydrogels were negatively influenced, presumably as a consequence of the increased amount of water absorbed in starch granules. These results suggest that both the starch source and processing time play an important role in the formation of gels from starch suspensions and affect the physical characteristics of HPP hydrogels. Finally, the natural products obtained might be suitable for use in several applications where either creamy or gummy structures are desirable.

Tempering is a unit operation of increasing the temperature of the frozen food to an optimal temperature for further processing, usually below its freezing point. In the meat industry, tempering occurs prior to slicing, dicing, cutting, or other steps. This study recommended a definition of time-to-temper based on temperature distribution uniformity. A transient heat transfer model was established with MATLAB PDE toolbox in finite element method (FEM) to generate temperature distribution histories within the studied pork products, which provides faster computation and more straightforward data postprocessing. The temperature-dependent thermophysical properties of the frozen products have been predicted based on product composition. The simulated results provide an illustration of the temperature distribution history during tempering. The effects of convective heat transfer coefficient (h), ambient temperature (Ta), product composition, and product dimension on time-to-temper have been compared and discussed. Increasing h-value reduces time-to-temper effectively only in the range of 0 to 200 W⋅m− 2 ⋅K− 1; further increase in h does not significantly decrease time-to-temper. Ta below freezing point of the product leads to relatively short time-to-temper, and the highest time-to-temper usually occurs when Ta is around 1 ∘C higher than the product freezing point. When product thickness increases, time-to-temper increases at a higher ratio than that of thickness increase.

Currently, consumers are demanding healthier foods that are at the same time fresh, safe, and long-lasting. However, traditional food processing technologies apply thermal treatments, which lead to modifications of sensory properties and losses of health-promoting compounds. Therefore, novel technologies have been increasingly researched and developed to overcome these problems, including postharvest abiotic stresses (PAS) and nonthermal processing technologies (NTPTs). PAS refer to the application of non-biological stimuli (i.e., wounding stress, modified atmospheres, UV light) to which plants respond by synthesizing secondary metabolites as a defense mechanism. Many of these secondary metabolites are nutraceuticals. On the other hand, NTPTs (i.e., high-pressure processing, ultrasound, pulsed electric fields) extend the shelf-life of foods without using high temperatures, allowing the retention of sensory, nutritional, and nutraceutical quality. Furthermore, certain NTPTs can also act as PAS, enhancing the nutraceutical content of foods through physical, chemical, and metabolic changes. This review describes the physiological response of fruits and vegetables to PAS and NTPTs and discusses their strengths and drawbacks when using them as elicitors to induce the accumulation of nutraceuticals. It presents a new concept that consists of the combined application of PAS and NTPTs to design next-generation food and beverages against chronic diseases using colon cancer as an example. Combining PAS and NTPTs is an emerging field; therefore, more research is needed to establish which combinations are most suitable and cost-effective to satisfy consumer demands.

The demand for safe, high-quality food has greatly increased, in recent times. As traditional thermal pasteurization can significantly impact the nutritional value and the color of fresh food, an increasing number of nonthermal pasteurization technologies have attracted attention. The bactericidal effect of high-pressure carbon dioxide has been known for many years, and its effect on food-related enzymes has been studied. This novel technology has many merits, owing to its use of relatively low pressures and temperatures, which make it a potentially valuable future method for nonthermal pasteurization. For example, the inactivation of polyphenol oxidase can be achieved with relatively low temperature and pressure, and this can contribute to food quality and better preserve nutrients, such as vitamin C. However, this novel technology has yet to be developed on an industrial scale due to insufficient test data. In order to support the further development of this application, on an industrial scale, we have reviewed the existing information on high-pressure carbon dioxide pasteurization technology. We include its bactericidal effects and its influence on food quality. We also pave the way for future studies, by highlighting key areas.

Thermal treatments can cause undesirable sensory quality and nutritional changes in food, whereas high-quality retention has been widely reported for high-pressure processing (HPP). The aim of this study was to assess the retention of whole-fat milk vitamins after pressure-assisted thermal processing (PATP). The retention of ascorbic acid (AA), retinol, β-carotene, and α-tocopherol was determined by HPLC after 0.5 to 10 min treatments at 46 to 75 °C and 95 to 705 MPa. AA content was particularly sensitive to PATP treatments, particularly at 705 MPa and 75 °C for 5 min, reaching a loss of 55.1 ± 0.9%. Liposoluble vitamin losses were much lower than those observed for AA. For all treatments, retinol loss remained below 10.2 ± 1.7% and it was independent of the processing times tested (0.5, 5, and 10 min) for treatments at 400 MPa and 75 °C with losses of 6.3 ± 1.3, 6.1 ± 1.5, and 8.1 ± 3.2%, respectively. For PATP treatments at 75 °C, 5 min, and 95–705 MPa, α-tocopherol losses were minor and ranging from 5.0 ± 2.1 to 6.4 ± 0.6%. These values were similar to those observed after conventional thermal pasteurization. Low β-carotene losses were also observed at 75 °C for all PATP treatments with losses of −0.6 ± 2.9 to 4.4 ± 0.5% for 95–705 MPa/5 min and 2.4 ± 0.3 to 4.9 ± 2.1% for 400 MPa/0.5–10 min treatments. This study showed that in whole-fat milk subjected to PATP treatments, AA is significantly more sensitive than retinol, β-carotene, and α-tocopherol.

Flavor ingredients are major contributors to the profile of food products. As these components are mostly volatile and hydrophobic, achieving their enhanced bioaccessibility and controlled release during processing is of utmost concern to food manufacturers. Emulsions prepared at nanoscale (2–200 nm) not only give the opportunity to protect the flavor ingredients but also enable achieving higher homogeneity in the emulsion system through produced smaller droplet size. Among developed approaches of high and low energy for preparation of flavor nanoemulsions, low-energy approaches give the possibility to develop nanoemulsions in absence of high shear and pressure, and are suitable selections for preparation of nanoemulsions for thermal-sensitive flavor components with the requirement of consuming less energy in comparison to high-energy methods. However, limitation of using synthetic surfactants might limit their applications for food systems and high amount of surfactant might be necessary to produce stable nanoemulsions with small droplet sizes. Preparation of nanoemulsions for encapsulation of food flavors applying low-energy methods is considered as a new emerging approach with potential for further research for development of ingredients applicable in food formulations and production of stable nanoemulsions at large scale. Considering the growing demand for food flavors, this review aims to highlight recent advancements in the application of high- and low-energy approaches for preparation of flavor nanoemulsions with the focus on discussing the main factors influencing stability and particle size of prepared nanoemulsions during development and storage and can provide insights on further production of nanoemulsions at an industrial large scale.