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The Daily Insight

What is non thermal food processing

Author

Nathan Sanders

Published Apr 08, 2026

Non-thermal processing refers to relatively young technologies that use mechanisms other than conventional heating to reduce or eliminate microorganisms that might be harmful or cause spoilage. … Some of this material appeared in a different form in the Processing column of Food Technology beginning in 2002.

What are the non-thermal processing?

Processing of foods without the application of heat is termed as the non-thermal processing. The most widely used non-thermal processing techniques are high pressure processing, pulsed electric field, ultrasound, pulsed light, ultraviolet light, irradiation, oscillating magnetic field etc.

What is non-thermal food preservation?

Non-thermal preservation technologies use mechanical, electromagnetic, light, or electric energy to inactivate microorganisms. Avoiding modifications generated by heat processing, they generally provide minimally processed foods and beverages with better flavor, freshness while keeping health promoting compounds.

What is non-thermal food processing technology?

Food is subjected to various thermal treatments during processes to enhance its shelf-life. … In non-thermal processing, food is processed at near room temperature, so there is no damage to food because heat-sensitive nutritious materials are intact in the food, contrary to thermal processing of food.

Which example is a non-thermal preservation method?

Currently, used nonthermal processing for food conservation and microorganism inactivation are microwave, radiofrequency, ohmic, and inductive heating, high pressure processing, pulsed electric field, high voltage arc discharge, oscillating magnetic fields, ultraviolet light, ultrasound, and X-rays.

What is non-thermal sterilization?

Non-thermal sterilization technology increases shelf-life while creating foods and beverages with nearly the same taste, feel, appearance and nutritional profile of unsterilized, fresh foods and beverages. However, the technology often costs more to purchase and operate than thermal sterilization technologies.

What is the meaning of non-thermal?

Definition of nonthermal : not produced by heat specifically : of, relating to, or being radiation having a spectrum that is not the spectrum of a blackbody.

What is the advantage of thermal processing over non-thermal processing?

The advantage of the process is that when pressure is released, cooling is very quick. In conventional thermal processing, cooling can be slow, and much of the damage to flavor and texture occurs then.

What is the main advantage of non-thermal processing?

Nonthermal processing is a value-added technique with diverse benefits, including increased shelf life and improved taste through the preservation of amino acids.

Which of the following non-thermal processes are used to pasteurize food?

Pulsed electric field processing is a non-thermal food preservation technique used mainly for inactivation of microbes. PEF technology is the application of short pulses of high electric fields with duration of micro- to milliseconds and intensity in the order of 10-80 kV/cm in order to preserve the food.

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What are the non-thermal methods for drying?

Non-thermal, mechanical drying, can be used to remove liquids. Examples for this are decanters, filter presses and alike. When these mechanical dryers can be applied, much less energy is required than for thermal drying only.

What is thermal processing of food?

Thermal processing is a food sterilization technique in which the food is heated at a temperature high enough to destroy microbes and enzymes. The specific amount of time required depends upon the specific food and the growth habits of the enzymes or microbes.

How do you make non-thermal plasma?

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is electrically energized matter in a gaseous state, and can be generated by passing gases through electric fields (Conrads and Schmidt, 2000). The mean electron energies of NTP, which is about 20 eV, are considerably higher than those of the components of the ambient gas.

How does high pressure processing work?

HOW DOES HPP WORK? HPP protects and defends foods by subjecting sealed products to incredibly high pressures – up to 6,000 bar or 87,000 psi. It’s an all-natural process that uses purified cold water to neutralize food-borne pathogens, like listeria and E. Coli, without preservatives or chemicals.

Are non heat processed foods safe?

These alternative processing methods are at various stages of development, and have the potential to destroy pathogens and retain desired food quality. Foods treated with non-thermal process are safer to eat then untreated products (e.g. oysters, sprouts) but still require refrigeration to delay spoilage.

What is thermal sterilization?

Thermal Sterilization. Thermal sterilization uses the thermal lability of a microorganism to prevent its growth. At elevated temperatures, the probability of an organism surviving depends on the magnitude of temperature and the duration of exposure. … The most common form of thermal sterilization is steam addition.

What is thermal process?

Thermal process means the application of heat to food, either before or after sealing in a hermetically sealed container, for a period of time and at a temperature scientifically determined to ensure destruction of microorganisms of public health significance.

What is ozone used for in food processing?

Ozone is a safe, extremely vigorous disinfectant and oxidizer, therefore, it is used to control unwanted organism growth in equipment used in food processing industries. Ozone does not act as a systemic poison to microorganisms , but rather, destroys them through the process of oxidation.

What are the impact of the foods that treated with non-thermal treatment to human health?

Non-thermal processing technologies inactivate microorganisms and spoilage enzymes and enable the shelf life of foods to be extended while maintaining their organoleptic, nutritional and quality characteristics.

What is the difference between thermal and non-thermal?

As adjectives the difference between thermal and nonthermal is that thermal is pertaining to heat or temperature while nonthermal is not thermal; not produced by heat.

What are the examples of thermal processing?

  • Canned foods.
  • Conditions affecting the growth of micro-organisms.
  • Micro-organisms in retorted foods.
  • Microbial spoilage of canned foods.
  • Sterilisation process and equipment.
  • Containers for thermally treated products.
  • Cleaning of containers prior to filling.
  • Seaming of cans.

What is 12D process?

12D treatment refers to applying heat sufficient to kill 10^12 C. botulinum endospores. Clostridium botulinum is a very dangerous heat resistant spore forming pathogen in low acid foods. It is anaerobic and may survive and multiply in a sealed can. It has to be destroyed by heat sterilisation.

What are the types of thermal processing?

There are two main temperature categories employed in thermal processing: Pasteurization and Sterilisation.

What is the difference between thermal and non-thermal plasma?

Plasmas can be “thermal/hot” and “non-thermal/cold”. Thermal plasma is nearly fully ionized while non-thermal plasma is only partly ionized. Generating plasma artificially, it can be ignited at low or atmospheric pressure by adding energy to a gas, e.g. air, argon or helium.

What are non-thermal electrons?

A nonthermal plasma, cold plasma or non-equilibrium plasma is a plasma which is not in thermodynamic equilibrium, because the electron temperature is much hotter than the temperature of heavy species (ions and neutrals).

Is cold plasma possible?

“We can generate a beam of plasma that is around room temperature. … (Eg, “high-temperature superconductivity” takes place at temperatures common to liquid nitrogen.) Many cold plasmas are “cold” compared to, say, the sun, but still pretty hot: on the order of 70 to 100 degrees Celsius.

Is High Pressure Processing safe?

HPP juice is safer than raw juice. As discussed in the beginning of this article, HPP successfully achieves a 5 log reduction of microorganism in juice. These potentially harmful bacteria include E. Coli, salmonella, and other bad things. If harmful bacteria does exist in the raw juice, HPP can usually make it safe.

Is HPP pasteurized?

HPP, a cold pasteurization technique, is extremely effective. It leverages ultra-high pressure purified water to inactivate bacteria – like listeria, E. coli, and salmonella. Neutralizing pathogens makes it so that packaged foods can stay fresher longer.

What is a pressure process?

High Pressure Processing (HPP) is a cold pasteurization technique by which products, already sealed in its final package, are introduced into a vessel and subjected to a high level of isostatic pressure (300–600MPa/43,500-87,000psi) transmitted by water.