Advances and Drawbacks of Sous-Vide Technique-A Critical Review.

The sous-vide (SV) technique, notable for its precision and ability to preserve food quality, has become a transformative method in culinary arts. This review examines the technical aspects, applications, and limitations of SV, focusing on its impact on food safety, nutritional retention, and quality parameters across various food matrices such as meats, seafood, vegetables, and semi-prepared products. Through an extensive literature review, the study highlights the use of natural inhibitors and essential oils to enhance microbial safety and explores the nutritional benefits of SV in preserving vitamins and minerals. The findings suggest that while SV offers significant benefits in terms of consistent results and extended shelf life, challenges remain in terms of equipment costs and the necessity for specific training, and although sufficient for food preparation/processing, its effectiveness in eliminating microbial pathogens, including viruses, parasites, and vegetative and spore forms of bacteria, is limited. Overall, the research underscores SV's adaptability and potential for culinary innovation, aligning with modern demands for food safety, quality, and nutritional integrity.

An Overview of Effects Induced by Pasteurization and High-Power Ultrasound Treatment on the Quality of Red Grape Juice.

In juice processing, ultrasound treatment has been tested as a potential alternative to conventional thermal methods to inactivate microorganisms and to enhance the nutritional status of juice. In this study, the impact of pasteurization and high-power ultrasound treatment on the quality of red grape juice was investigated in terms of the content of bioactive compounds such as phenolic compounds and l-ascorbic acid as well as regarding the microbiological and physicochemical properties. The grape juice was subjected to pasteurization (80 °C, 2 min) as well as to ultrasound treatment with an amplitude of 50 and 70% for 5 and 10 min. The results indicated the same level of total phenolic content for pasteurized and sonicated samples for 10 min with an amplitude of 70%, while the highest level of l-ascorbic acid was recorded for sonicated samples with an amplitude of 70% for 10 min. pH of sonicated samples decreased with amplitude and treatment time while total soluble solids and titratable acidity increased with amplitude and time. Moreover, the results indicated the usefulness of juice sonication to enhance the inactivation of microorganisms. Thus, the high-power ultrasound treatment might represent a viable technique to replace the conventional thermal treatment in grape juice processing.