Page 57 - FoodFocusThailand No.210 SEPTEMBER 2023

SMART PRODUCTION

Therefore, the alternative non-thermal food
processing as “hydrodynamic cavitation”, which
relies on the formation and collapse of air bubbles
under the liquid to create a high-pressure
shock wave, is possible to apply in liquid food
processing.

Hydrodynamic cavitation
Hydrodynamic cavitation is a formation of bubbles
together with rapid and severe collapse phenomena
which result in the release of high pressure
ranging from 100-1,000 bar and heat at a temperature
of 727-9,727 C in a shorter time. This technology is
o
classified as a non-thermal food processing that
can effectively destroy microorganisms and reduce
enzyme activity but maintains the nutritional
properties of the food product. A method to generate Figure 1 Hydrodynamic cavitation phenomenon
Source: Castro-Munoz et al. (2023)
air bubbles can be achieved by using a flow constriction
device. This equipment is made from a metal disc Advantages of hydrodynamic cavitation technology
and contains a circular opening in the center to allow for liquid food products
liquid movement. As the liquid passes through this 1. Improvement of the physical properties
device, the velocity and kinetic energy will increase Hydrodynamic cavitation technology can improve physical
while the pressure is dropped because of the effect properties such as stability, viscosity, turbidity, pH, and color in
of friction and flow resistance. When the pressure liquid foods that influence the shelf-life of the product. Because
drops below the liquid’s vapor pressure, it will cause the generation of numerous mechanical waves reduces the
more bubbles formation and collapse continuously.
So, numerous small shock waves were created and
released energy in the surrounding liquid up to 1,018
kW/m . The bubble pressure usually refers to the
3
overall pressure of the system. Therefore, the
hydrodynamic cavitation condition can be controlled
through relevant factors such as pressure, flow rate,
and opening diameter to obtain the requirement of
bubbles’ appearance. In addition, the effect of
collisions between bubbles, vibrations, dispersion,
and turbulent flow in the system also accelerates
mass transfer that may be applied for food processing,
including fruit juice, milk, jam, yogurt, or ice cream, as
well as extraction of bioactive compounds in plant
cells.

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