Research progress and application of ultrasonic- and microwave-assisted food processing technology.

Microwaves are electromagnetic waves of specific frequencies (300 MHz-3000 GHz), whereas ultrasonic is mechanical waves of specific frequencies. Microwave and ultrasonic technology as a new processing method has been widely used in food processing fields. Combined ultrasonic and microwave technology is exploited by researchers as an improvement technique and has been successfully applied in food processing such as thawing, drying, frying, extraction, and sterilization.

Improvement of extrudability and self-support of emulsion-filled starch gel for 3D printing: Increasing oil content.

This work investigated the mechanism of increasing oil content in synchronously enhancing extrudability and self-support of β-carotene loaded starch-based emulsion-filled gels (S-EFG) during 3D printing in terms of gel properties. Increasing emulsion oil content enhanced the storage modulus, relaxation modulus, and hardness of gels, which indicated sodium caseinate-stabilized emulsions were active fillers in the starch gel. Thus, printed products with high oil content were less prone to collapse when selecting models with higher height.

Research progress in fluid and semifluid microwave heating technology in food processing.

Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation that has high penetration and heating efficiency in food processing. Uneven heating is the main problem of microwave processing, especially in solid foods. Fluid and semifluid media, which are good carriers in microwave processing, have uniform dielectric properties and good material fluidity.