ABSTRACT
Osmotic dehydration is a food preservation technology that involves soaking food products in a concentrated solution. The application of ultrasound in food processing has been of interest for many years, with researchers investigating its potential as a means of monitoring a process or product, or as a way of altering the properties of a process or product. Ultrasound can be used to characterize the products as non-destructive or to produce physical transformations. Ultrasound treatment has proven to be an effective technique at increasing the rate of osmotic dehydration. Ultrasound can improve the brining process in cheese, increasing the rate of water loss and sodium chloride gain from small cheese blocks. A combination of treatment with ultrasound and tumbling gives products with equal or higher bind strengths and cook yields than meat tumbled without ultrasound. Sound and ultrasound can be used to enhance the rate of heat transfer during freezing, thawing, and cooking.
