Photon-phonon coupling cold sterilization technology for milk preservation

With the continuous innovation of food processing and preservation technology, cold sterilization technology has become a hot research topic in dairy industry. This study firstly developed a novel photon-phonon coupling (PPC) cold sterilization technology, and its effects on the control of microbes in raw milk, milk sensory, nutritional composition and characteristics of whey proteins were explored, with the simulated low-temperature pasteurization (65 °C for 30 min, SLP) and microwave ultraviolet (MUV) as two comparative technologies. The results suggested that PPC showed bacterial reduction in raw milk by as high as 4.8 log, while indicated slight impacts on the color, taste and smell of raw milk, the main nutrients, as well as lactoferrin and immunoglobulin. Moreover, the impacts of PPC, SLP and MUV on whey proteins were systematically investigated, focusing on the protein structure, surface charge and hydrophobicity. This study provides a reliable and refined research basis for developing cold sterilization technology for food preservation. •Milk sterilization using cold sterilization technology.•Development of photon-phonon coupling cold sterilization technology and equipment.•Evaluation of sensory properties, nutrient composition and whey protein structure of milk.