foods Editorial Application of Emerging Non-Thermal Processing Technologies: Impact on Characteristics, Efficacy, and Safety of Foods Artur X. Roig-Sagués * and Antonio J. Trujillo-Mesa Centre d’Innovació, Recerca i Transferència en Tecnologia dels Aliments (CIRTTA), TECNIO CERTA-UAB, Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Travesera dels Turons S/N, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain; toni.trujillo@uab.cat * Correspondence: arturxavier.roig@uab.cat The development of thermal treatments based on the precepts proposed by Nicolas Appert at the beginning of the 19th century is one of the main milestones achieved to prolong the conservation of food and guarantee its supply to the population even if they are at long distances from production sites [1]. In turn, the application of these treatments has had a fundamental impact on public health, as became evident in the 1930s, when pasteurisation was adopted for the treatment of milk, which saw a drastic drop in the incidence of disease caused by infectious agents present in raw milk [2]. Nowadays, heat- based treatments are the most common way of preserving foods. However, they have some drawbacks, such as undesirable biochemical and nutritional changes in processed products, such as colour changes, a decrease in flavour and aroma, and loss of vitamins [3]. Consumers are increasingly looking for more natural, less processed products, but this is sometimes incompatible with an adequate level of safety. The food industry is constantly evolving, driven by the increasing demand for safe and nutritious food products. The devel- opment of emerging technologies in food processing aims to address this specific consumer need for safe, healthy, and minimally processed foods. They have shown promising results in preserving food quality and extending shelf life. These techniques operate at lower temperatures compared to conventional heat treatments, minimising the degradation of sensitive nutrients and bioactive compounds. Furthermore, they can effectively inactivate microorganisms and pathogens, ensuring the safety of food products while also leading to Citation: Roig-Sagués, A.X.; environmentally friendly and sustainable food manufacturing techniques with low energy Trujillo-Mesa, A.J. Application of requirements and reduced water use. Emerging Non-Thermal Processing Some of these technologies are based on principles already explored several years Technologies: Impact on ago. The first patents for the use of ionising radiation to kill bacteria in foods were issued Characteristics, Efficacy, and Safety of in the early 20th century; however, the use of irradiation is still limited nowadays due Foods. Foods 2023, 12, 4040. https:// to psychological and political factors. In the EU, for instance, food irradiation has been doi.org/10.3390/foods12214040 regulated since 1999 by a General Directive (Directive 1999/2/EC), but the community Received: 22 September 2023 list of EU-approved irradiated foods contains only a single class of items: “dried aromatic Accepted: 11 October 2023 herbs, spices, and vegetable seasonings” [4]. Less controversial is the use of high pressures Published: 6 November 2023 for food preservation, the first experiments of which date back to the end of the 19th century. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP), for instance, can be applied to packaged food, avoiding post-treatment contamination. Recently, the European Food Safety Authority [5] has published a report advising that an in-depth analysis be performed on the effect of Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. HPP treatments on inherent compounds and pathogen behaviours in milk, dairy, and other Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. ready-to-eat foods to set generic HHP minimum requirements to assure the safety of these This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and food products. Pulsed electric fields, ultrasounds, and cold plasma are used to exemplify conditions of the Creative Commons scalable and flexible food manufacturing techniques. Ultra-high-pressure homogenisation Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// and ultraviolet radiation have also been explored in recent years, showing promising results creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ by inactivating effectively food-borne pathogens and extending shelf life but minimising 4.0/). the degradation of sensitive nutrients and bioactive compounds. Foods 2023, 12, 4040. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12214040 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/foods Foods 2023, 12, 4040 2 of 2 Understanding the impact and potential of such technologies on food systems at the cellular level enables the design of tailor-made foods and the establishment of process– structure–function relationships. Based on this knowledge, a completely new process design and the incorporation of these technologies in traditional processes, as well as the generation of improved equipment design, could be possible to maintain or even improve products and fulfil consumer preference, acceptance, and needs [6]. This Special Issue seeks to explore the latest advancements in non-thermal emerg- ing food processing technologies and their impact on various aspects of food processing and product development, with the aim of providing valuable insights into the under- lying mechanisms, optimisation strategies, and future prospects for implementing these technologies in the food industry. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. References 1. Garcia, R.; Adrian, J. Nicolas Appert: Inventor and Manufacturer. Food Rev. Int. 2009, 25, 115–125. [CrossRef] 2. Claeys, W.L.; Cardoen, S.; Daube, G.; De Block, J.; Dewettinck, K.; Dierick, K.; De Zutter, L.; Huyghebaert, A.; Imberechts, H.; Thiange, P.; et al. Raw or heated cow milk consumption: Review of risks and benefits. Food Control 2013, 31, 251–262. [CrossRef] 3. Choi, L.H.; Nielsen, S.S. The effects of thermal and nonthermal processing methods on apple cider quality and consumer acceptability. J. Food Qual. 2005, 28, 13–29. [CrossRef] 4. Farkas, J.; Mohácsi-Farkas, C. History and future of food irradiation. Trends Food Sci. Technol. 2011, 22, 121–126. [CrossRef] 5. Koutsoumanis, K.; Alvarez-Ordoñez, A.; Bolton, D.; Bover-Cid, S.; Chemaly, M.; Davies, R.; De Cesare, A.; Herman, L.; Hilbert, F.; Lindqvist, R.; et al. The efficacy and safety of high-pressure processing of food. EFSA J. 2022, 20, 7128. 6. Knorr, D.; Froehling, A.; Jaeger, H.; Reineke, K.; Schlueter, O.; Schoessler, K. Emerging Technologies in Food Processing. Annu. Rev. Food Sci. Technol. 2011, 2, 203–235. [CrossRef] [PubMed] Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.