Advanced Food Preservation: Physical, Biological, and Material Approaches for Commercial Application

The field of food preservation is undergoing a transformative shift, propelled by increasing consumer demand for safer, fresher, and higher-quality foods. Traditional heat-based preservation methods, while effective in enhancing food safety and shelf-life, have well-documented drawbacks, including the degradation of sensory, nutritional, and functional attributes, as well as high energy consumption. Recent debates center on finding preservation strategies that minimize processing intensity while assuring both safety and sustainability. Novel approaches - such as non-thermal physical treatments, biological preservation methods, and advanced packaging materials - are being explored to overcome the limitations of conventional techniques. While many emerging technologies have been proposed, substantial knowledge gaps remain concerning their mechanisms of action, scalability, and impact on food quality and nutritional value. Cutting-edge research has shed light on innovative non-thermal techniques like cold plasma, high-pressure processing, and pulsed electric fields, as well as biological interventions like natural antimicrobials and protective cultures. Material science advances, including active and intelligent packaging, further enrich the landscape. Despite promising laboratory results and pilot studies, real-world commercial application and overall sustainability are still challenging, underscoring the need for more interdisciplinary research and field validation.This Research Topic aims to unify and advance research on next-generation food preservation by highlighting recent progress in non-thermal physical technologies, innovative water treatments, biological preservation techniques, and new material-based solutions. The main objectives are to elucidate the mechanisms driving these advanced methods, evaluate their efficacy in maintaining or improving food safety and quality, and demonstrate their practical applications in commercial settings. Key questions include determining the scalability and integration of these technologies, their impact on sensory and nutritional attributes, and their overall contribution to sustainable food systems.To gather further insights in the boundaries of advanced, sustainable food preservation methods for commercial deployment, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:o Mechanisms and efficacy of non-thermal physical preservation techniques (e.g., cold plasma, high-pressure processing, pulsed electric fields, ultrasonication, irradiation, UV)o Innovations in activated water treatments (such as electrolyzed water, plasma-activated water, micro-nanobubbles)o Biological preservation strategies (biopreservatives, natural antimicrobials, bacteriophages, protective cultures)o Development and application of novel materials for preservation (active and intelligent packaging, nanomaterials, edible coatings)o Assessment of safety, nutritional quality, shelf-life, and consumer acceptance under new preservation approacheso Environmental and economic sustainability of advanced preservation solutionso Integration of interdisciplinary perspectives: food technology, microbiology, and materials scienceWe invite original research, reviews, mini-reviews, and perspectives for this Research Topic. Topic editors: Mehraj Fatema Z. Mulla, Oluwafemi James Caleb, Dr. Shakeel Ahmed Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/74888/advanced-food-preservation-physical-biological-and-material-approaches-for-commercial-application