Magnetic field (MF) technology has gained increasing attention as a non-thermal physical approach for food processing, offering advantages including low cost, energy efficiency, and minimal compromise of nutritional and sensory quality. This review examines recent advances in MF technology for food processing, with emphasis on the mechanistic basis of MF–food component interactions and the parameter windows that determine efficacy. We first summarize fundamental MF principles (magnetic flux density, frequency, direction, gradient, and generation methods) and their classification, then critically examine the parameter–response relationships and associated structure–function mechanisms underlying MF-induced modification of proteins, carbohydrates, and other bioactive constituents, focusing on conformational changes, ice crystal regulation, and molecular ordering. A keyword co-occurrence analysis of publications from the Web of Science Core Collection (2000–2025) is used to map the current research landscape and identify the themes that organize this review, namely MF-assisted freezing and meat quality, magnetic nanomaterials and food safety analysis, and fluid dynamics and bioprocess regulation. Diverse applications are surveyed, including extraction, quality preservation (meat, cereals, fruits, dairy), drying, fermentation, and storage/packaging, while highlighting how parameter optimization determines efficacy. Despite considerable demonstrated potential, challenges remain in mechanistic understanding, process standardization, field uniformity, penetration depth, and industrial scalability. By integrating a mapping of current research trends with a mechanistic analysis of MF–food component interactions, this review provides both a theoretical foundation and a technical roadmap for advancing MF technology from laboratory research to industrial food applications.
Indirect solar drying (ISD) directs solar-heated air into an enclosed drying chamber rather than exposing food products directly to solar radiation, protecting moisture-sensitive fruits, vegetables, crops from ultraviolet damage and localized overheating while still using convective flow of air to eliminate moisture. This review mainly synthesizes experimentally tested Indirect type solar dryer (ITSD), drawing on field- and laboratory-scale drying trials rather than purely simulated or theoretical configurations, and assesses them across four dimensions: dryer arrangement and classification, crop and material-specific drying performance, combination of thermal storage and hybrid energy sources, and environmental and economic results. Across the experimental studies compiled, thermal efficiency ranged between 8.80 and 60
Nixtamalization, the alkaline cooking process of maize, has long ensured nutritional enhancement and cultural continuity in Mesoamerica. In recent years, the development of nixtamalized maize derivative products has gained renewed scientific and industrial interest due to their functional, technological, and safety attributes. However, challenges such as variability in physicochemical properties, microbial contamination, mycotoxin persistence, and limitations in shelf-life highlight the need for innovative processing approaches. Emerging technologies, including pulsed light, ultraviolet irradiation, ultrasound, ozone and CO₂-assisted treatments, enzymatic biotransformation, and ohmic heating, have demonstrated potential not only to mitigate chemical hazards but also to reduce microbial loads and inhibit spoilage organisms, while modulating the structural, nutritional, and bioactive profiles of maize-based products. This review critically analyzes the nixtamalized maize derivatives produced through these technologies, integrating perspectives from chemical, physical, microbiological, toxicological, and biological evaluations. Emphasis is placed on how these approaches influence safety parameters, extend microbial and physicochemical stability, and align with sustainability principles within a circular economic framework. Future directions underscore the importance of scale-up strategies, regulatory harmonization, energy-efficient designs, and consumer acceptance studies to fully establish the role of emerging technologies in advancing safe, high-quality, and sustainable maize-based foods. Microwave nixtamalization reduced aflatoxins by 68–84
Plant-based dairy alternatives (PBMAs) are structurally complex colloidal systems whose technological performance depends on the organization of dispersed phases, interfaces, and continuous-phase networks. This narrative review examines processing and formulation strategies used to engineer micro- and nano-structured PBMAs and evaluates how processing-induced structural modifications influence functionality and stability. Peer-reviewed literature was identified through Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed/MEDLINE, complemented by targeted searches of publisher platforms and reference lists, prioritizing experimental studies reporting processing conditions and structural, functional, or stability outcomes. The reviewed evidence demonstrates that structural modification does not necessarily improve product performance. Ultrasonication reduced fat-globule size in plant-based frozen desserts from approximately 20 to 7 μm, whereas pulsed electric field treatment reduced particle size and prevented apparent phase separation in almond milk for 28 days at 4 °C. Conversely, UHT treatment increased particle diameter in a 5
Starch is one of the most abundant biopolymers with diverse industrial applications, but the inherent limitations of native starch such as high viscosity, low solubility, poor thermal stability, and rapid retrogradation often restrict its direct use. This has driven growing interest in sustainable and industrially viable modification technologies. Superheated steam (SS) has emerged as a promising processing medium because of its rapid heat transfer, limited-oxygen environment, and potential advantages in energy recovery and process sustainability. This review critically synthesizes available studies on SS generation, heat and mass transfer, and its effects on the structural, physicochemical, functional, and digestibility characteristics of isolated starches and starch-rich food matrices. Reported studies show that SS can modify starch solubility, viscosity, thermal stability, retrogradation, and enzymatic digestibility, with the extent of these changes strongly dependent on processing conditions and matrix composition. SS-treated starches and starch-rich matrices have also shown potential for improving the rheological, textural, cooking, and storage properties of products such as baked goods, noodles, and puffed foods. In addition, SS can facilitate chemical modification of starch, particularly citric acid esterification. Overall, SS is a promising clean-label approach for tailoring starch functionality, although further mechanistic, scale-up, and techno-economic studies are needed to support broader industrial application.
