ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the basic principles of ultrasound, hardware for generation of ultrasound and the applications of ultrasound in horticultural/agricultural and food sector. Applications of ultrasound technology are commonly observed in medical diagnostic field, where using transmitted and reflected ultrasound waves, images of internal organs are formed. As the fruit and vegetable ripens, physical or chemical changes occur in it, which results in change in attenuation, impedance and velocity of propagated ultrasound beam. On basis of this ultrasound physics, many researchers carried out the experiments on different fruits/food materials. Determination of the effect of ultrasound on microbial inactivation efficiency when used with other processing technologies. Ultrasonic transducers are manufactured for use in different applications. Selection of a transducer depends on the nature of application. Desired frequency and bandwidth are some of the considerations that should be thought before selection of a transducer. Generally, transducers are grouped as contact transducer, immersion transducer, and paint brush transducer.
