Food Control最新文献

{"title":"Acoustic-vibration detection of moldy pear core: a novel approach combining image coding and hybrid deep learning","authors":"Kang Zhao ,&nbsp;Yue Yang ,&nbsp;Yunhao Zhang ,&nbsp;Ye Song ,&nbsp;Tao Shen","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111683","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111683","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The common acoustic-vibration detection technology for pears with moldy core had weak adaptive extraction ability and low accuracy in distinguishing early moldy pear cores. To address this issue, this study proposed an \"single-point excitation and dual-point sensing\" acoustic-vibration method combined with the image coding and hybrid deep learning model. The self-designed acoustic-vibration testing system was used to obtain the acoustic-vibration signals of pears. The acoustic-vibration signals were transformed into the feature images using the improved image encoding methods. Subsequently, the DSC-SqueezeNet feature extractor improved by the deep separable convolution (DSC) and the vision transformation (ViT) feature extractor was used to adaptively extract the deep features related to the moldy pear core. Then, the t-SNE method was used to perform the qualitative and quantitative clustering analysis on the deep features extracted by the two feature extractors. The quantitative analysis results showed that the deep features extracted by DSC-SqueezeNet from multi-scale asymmetric recurrence plots (MARP) feature images outperformed those extracted by ViT in terms of inter-class separation (DB = 0.1981) and intra-class compactness (CH = 4409.7842), and were more effective in characterizing the detailed information in the response signal images of the three pear categories. Finally, the deep features extracted from the optimal feature images were input into the two classifiers: multi-layer perceptron (MLP) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost). The hyperparameters of MLP and XGBoost classifiers were optimized by the Optuna algorithm to construct the DS-OPMLP model and DS-OPXG model for identifying the pears with moldy core. The classification results indicated that the DS-OPXG discrimination model established by the multi-scale asymmetric recurrence plots (MARP) as input has the higher classification accuracy of 95.83 % on the test set, which was 5.56 percentage points higher than that of the DS-OPMLP model. The sensitivity and specificity for the mildly moldy pear core were 96.15 % and 95.65 %, respectively. Also, the ablation experiments were executed to verify the effectiveness of the fusion of DSC and XGBoost. The DS-OPXG model only distinguished one mild moldy core pear as significant moldy core pear for the external validation set. The classification accuracy was 90.48 % for healthy pears, 97.44 % for the pears with mild moldy core and 86.49 % for the pears with significant moldy core. Therefore, the DS-OPXG model constructed by the MARP and hybrid deep learning can effectively capture the detail information of the acoustic-vibration signal and further improve the discrimination accuracy for the pears with the mild moldy core. This holds great significance for the practical application of acoustic-vibration detection of internal diseases in pears.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 111683"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145005297","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deep learning-enhanced multi-modal data fusion for predicting gel strength and water holding capacity in ultrasonically processed pork","authors":"Huanhuan Li ,&nbsp;Chenhui Li ,&nbsp;Xorlali Nunekpeku ,&nbsp;Wei Sheng ,&nbsp;Wei Zhang ,&nbsp;Selorm Yao-Say Solomon Adade","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111680","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111680","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Improving gel quality in minced pork remains a key challenge in the meat processing industry, affecting both product integrity and consumer satisfaction. This study explores the use of ultrasonic treatment (UT) to enhance the gel strength and water-holding capacity (WHC) of minced pork, and develops a multimodal, non-destructive prediction model based on fused spectral and image data. UT was applied at varying durations, with a 20-min treatment yielding optimal gel strength (338.2 g × cm) and WHC (77.87 %). To understand the physicochemical mechanisms behind these improvements, Raman spectroscopy and image-based texture analysis were employed. Raman results showed significant alterations in protein secondary structure, including unfolding and reorganization, while Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) analysis of gel surfaces indicated increased structural uniformity and reduced randomness. These complementary features were integrated using a low-level data fusion strategy and modeled using Extreme Learning Machine (ELM), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). The CNN model trained on augmented fused dataset achieved the highest prediction accuracy (Rp = 0.8954 for gel strength; Rp = 0.8887 for WHC), demonstrating the potential of combining chemical and spatial descriptors for real-time quality monitoring. This study not only confirms the effectiveness of ultrasound in improving pork gel quality but also introduces a robust and interpretable framework for intelligent meat processing and non-invasive quality assessment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 111680"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144916333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using encapsulated essential oils to control food spoilage: encapsulation techniques, release methods, and preservation strategies-A comprehensive review","authors":"Rui Xiao ,&nbsp;Yin Feng ,&nbsp;Xinyu Zhang ,&nbsp;Zhipeng Jiang ,&nbsp;Wenwen Chen ,&nbsp;Xue Ding ,&nbsp;Gang Yang ,&nbsp;Liu Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111679","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111679","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Food waste is a major barrier to sustainable development, highlighting the need for effective preservation technologies. Essential oils (EOs) have promising antimicrobial and antioxidant properties but face challenges due to their volatility, instability, and strong odor. Encapsulation technology is essential for their effective use, but it should be viewed as a means to enhance the application of EOs in food preservation. This paper initially provides a concise overview of the preservation mechanisms of EOs and the predominant encapsulation methods, establishing a strategic foundation for the study. It then conducts a critical review of five principal preservation application strategies: edible coatings, active packaging films, preservation pads, preservation sachets, and preservation hydrogels. The analysis delves into their design principles, release behaviors, applicable scenarios, and existing challenges. The focus is on a systematic review of how encapsulated EOs can effectively contribute to food preservation practices through diverse application strategies. Notably, this paper offers the first comprehensive summary of the \"preservation pads\" strategy utilizing electrospinning technology and proposes three highly promising future application strategies: \"preservation cards,\" \"preservation nets,\" and \"preservation foams,\" with the aim of broadening the application scope and universality of EOs preservation systems. Finally, the paper addresses environmental and safety considerations pertinent to the application of EOs. This paper seeks to offer an extensive array of strategic insights and theoretical foundations to advance the development of next-generation high-performance, intelligent, and environmentally sustainable EO-based food preservation systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 111679"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144913345","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Infrared spectroscopy combined with deep learning to describe the textural properties of cooked rice from raw materials: revealing spectral variations and internal correlations during processing","authors":"Rui Tang ,&nbsp;Ting Yu ,&nbsp;Zi Li ,&nbsp;Junru Wu ,&nbsp;Xiaoming Zheng ,&nbsp;Leiqing Pan ,&nbsp;Yang Chen ,&nbsp;Kun Duan ,&nbsp;Hui Dong ,&nbsp;Weijie Lan","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111681","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111681","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the potential to describe the textural properties of cooked rice directly based on their infrared spectroscopy of raw materials, including hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, springiness, gumminess, and chewiness. Near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy were collected from a large variability of 122 rice varieties in Asian region. The analysis of spectral variance highlighted the thermal processing induced intensive variations of NIR wavelength at 1380 nm and MIR wavenumbers at 890 cm⁻¹. Furthermore, specific spectral regions around 2000 nm and 980 cm⁻¹ showed strong correlations during rice cooking, associated with starch and moisture changes. Convolutional neural networks models based on the NIR and MIR spectrum of cooked rice can satisfactorily predict their textural properties, particularly the hardness with <em>R</em>_<em>v</em>^<em>2</em> of 0.92 and 0.95, respectively. Notably, support vector machine models based on the selected MIR and NIR spectral variables of raw materials can directly describe the texture of cooked rice, with the <em>R</em>_<em>v</em>^<em>2</em> ≥ 0.90. These results demonstrate that infrared spectroscopy combined deep learning to describe the textural properties of cooked rice from raw materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 111681"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144913346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigating the correlation between major taste substances and volatile flavor substances in Lateolabrax japonicus (sea bass) under bloodletting conditions","authors":"Meijiao Gui ,&nbsp;Mengli Han ,&nbsp;Zhenhao Song ,&nbsp;Yurui Zhang ,&nbsp;Dajun Wang ,&nbsp;Shumin Zhang ,&nbsp;Wenzheng Shi","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111669","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111669","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, we assessed the effect of four bloodletting methods, namely head knocking to stun (Control), gill cutting and resting, room temperature gill cutting and swimming and low temperature gill cutting and swimming, on the flavor of sea bass (<em>Lateolabrax japonicus</em>). Among the four methods, the gill-cutting swimming method at room temperature consumed the least amount of glycogen (5.81g/100g) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) (205.75 mg/100g) and caused the least stress to the fish. Bloodletting reduces bitter amino acids and increases sweet and salty substances. It also lowers heptanal, benzaldehyde, octanal, hexanal, and 1-octen-3-ol, reducing fishy odors. The results of orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) (VIP&gt;1) and Spearman's correlation analysis were combined to derive correlations between the main taste compounds and 27 major volatile flavor compounds. Among them, benzaldehyde exhibited a significant positive correlation with 1-octen-3-one (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) and a highly significant positive correlation with 2-pentanol (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.01). Meanwhile, 2-hexen-1-ol demonstrated highly significant positive correlations with trans-2,4-decadienal and 1-hexanol (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.01). This suggests significant interactions between aldehydes and alcohols and ketones. This study adds a theoretical basis for the practical application of the bloodletting method and provides ideas for obtaining high-quality perch.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 111669"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144920369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antibacterial mechanism of the novel lipopeptide M3 against Listeria monocytogenes and its application in fish preservation","authors":"Chenhao Zhang ,&nbsp;Mengsheng Tang ,&nbsp;Sivakumar Manickam ,&nbsp;Xiaohu Luo ,&nbsp;Di Ren ,&nbsp;Jian Shen ,&nbsp;Jie Yang ,&nbsp;Yanan Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111678","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111678","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A novel lipopeptide was developed in this study by modifying C16 fengycin A through amino acid substitutions, producing M1–M5. Notably, M3 exhibited a minimum inhibitory concentration of 4 μg/mL against <em>Listeria monocytogenes</em>, which was significantly lower than that of the parent peptide and other derivative peptides. Mechanism studies revealed that M3 disrupted the integrity and permeability of bacterial cell membranes, induced membrane depolarization, and interfered with key pathways, such as fatty acid metabolism and glycerophospholipid metabolism, thereby inhibiting membrane lipid synthesis. A metabolomics analysis indicated that M3 treatment altered bacterial metabolites primarily enriched in pathways related to unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis and glycerophospholipid metabolism, with abnormal activity of key enzymes such as NADPH oxidase and biotin carboxylase. Additionally, M3 demonstrated excellent performance in fish preservation experiments: after 14 days of storage at 4 °C, the total volatile basic nitrogen in fish meat treated with M3 was below the spoilage threshold, an increase in the total bacterial count was significantly delayed, and quality indicators such as color, texture, and water retention were well maintained. This study provides a theoretical basis for the application of M3 as a natural antibacterial agent in the food industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"181 ","pages":"Article 111678"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145019296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative analysis of physico-chemical and microbiological parameters in shelf-life evaluation of three cooked Australian prawns","authors":"N.U. Sruthi ,&nbsp;Carol J. Low ,&nbsp;Md Reaz Chaklader ,&nbsp;Ranil Coorey ,&nbsp;Janet R. Howieson","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111675","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111675","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Extending the shelf life of seafood can significantly improve product availability and reduce waste across the supply chain. However, reliable and standardized tools are needed to assess freshness and determine suitability for consumption. This study develops and validates, to our knowledge, the first generic Quality Index Method (QIM) specifically for cooked and frozen Australian prawns, including Endeavour Prawns (EP), Western King Prawns (KP), and Brown Tiger Prawns (TP). The QIM tool effectively differentiated freshness levels across species, with TP showing the fastest quality decline, followed by KP and EP. Based on QIM scores, the maximum recommended storage time was seven days for all species. Microbiological analysis supported these findings, with TP exhibiting the highest total viable aerobic and <em>Pseudomonas</em> counts, along with the highest total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), indicating advanced spoilage. EP recorded elevated thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), reflecting significant lipid oxidation. Moisture content and water activity remained relatively stable, while drip loss and pH increased over time. Color parameters showed KP retained a brighter appearance, whereas EP and TP exhibited higher a∗ and b∗ values. KP also displayed lower values for hardness, chewiness, and gumminess, suggesting a softer texture during storage. The QIM developed in this study offers a practical, cost-effective tool for seafood processors and quality assurance teams to monitor freshness and optimize cold chain management of cooked prawns. Its alignment with established physico-chemical and microbiological indicators supports its potential for broader application in industrial quality control systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 111675"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144913348","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Visible-near infrared spectroscopy and near-infrared hyperspectral imaging for the detection of T-2 and HT-2 toxins in individual oat grains","authors":"Irene Teixido-Orries ,&nbsp;Francisco Molino ,&nbsp;Pau Agusti-Fernandez ,&nbsp;Ebenezer Ayibiowu ,&nbsp;Derek Croucher ,&nbsp;Angel Medina ,&nbsp;Sonia Marín ,&nbsp;Carol Verheecke-Vaessen","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111676","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111676","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Oat grains are increasingly consumed worldwide due to their health benefits, yet they are highly susceptible to contamination by <em>Fusarium</em> toxins, particularly T-2 and HT-2 toxins (T-2+HT-2). These toxins pose serious health risks and are unevenly distributed, with a few highly contaminated grains often driving a batch over legal safety limits. Current detection methods are destructive, slow, or inadequate for detecting contamination at the individual grain level. This study is the first to demonstrate the potential of visible–near-infrared (Vis-NIR) spectroscopy and near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI) to detect T-2+HT-2 in individual oat grains non-destructively. 200 grains were scanned, and their toxin content quantified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Classification models were developed to identify grains exceeding both the European Union (EU) legal threshold (1250 μg/kg) and a higher risk level (10,000 μg/kg). Both techniques achieved high accuracy (up to 94.5 %) in identifying contaminated grains. Key wavelengths were identified (e.g., 1203, 1419, 1424 and 1476 nm in NIR; 440–455 nm in Vis), and reducing the model to 20 wavelengths preserved performance while simplifying computation. Critically, removing just 21.5 % of the most contaminated grains could reduce overall toxin levels by over 95 %. Moreover, sampling simulations revealed that analysing 30 % of grains guarantees detection of contamination above legal limits, whereas 0.5 % sampling yields only a 25–33 % detection chance. These findings highlight a feasible path for integrating spectroscopic screening into industrial oat sorting lines, improving food safety, reducing economic losses, and overcoming key limitations of conventional mycotoxin monitoring.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 111676"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144907887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pesticide residues in maize kernels: Monitoring and human dietary risk assessment","authors":"Longbing Wei ,&nbsp;Xiaozhong Zhang ,&nbsp;Xing Liang ,&nbsp;Junwei Cui ,&nbsp;Xinglu Pan ,&nbsp;Xiaohu Wu ,&nbsp;Jun Xu ,&nbsp;Fengshou Dong ,&nbsp;Yongquan Zheng","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111677","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111677","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The protective structure of maize husks often leads to the underestimation of pesticide residues in kernels, where limited pesticide residue data pose significant challenges for effective risk management. This large-scale investigation evaluated residue levels and dietary risks of 60 representative pesticides in maize kernels from China's three major maize production regions (358 field samples). Samples were analyzed using a QuEChERS-based pretreatment method combined with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Sixteen pesticides were detected, with pyraclostrobin, tebuconazole, carbendazim, triadimefon, chlorpyrifos, and fludioxonil being the most frequently detected (detection rate ≥5 %), with concentrations ranging from 1.0 to 175.9 μg/kg. Pesticide residues in maize kernels primarily originate from soil, stalks, and husks. Co-occurrence analysis revealed that 21.3 % of samples contained at least one pesticide, with up to six residues detected in a single sample. Overall, multiple pesticide co-occurrence was low, and correlations between different pesticides were weak. Probabilistic dietary risk assessment indicated that, at the 97.5th percentile exposure level, risk quotient (RQ) values ranged from 2.7 × 10⁻⁷ to 2.9 × 10⁻⁴, which were well below safety thresholds. However, pyraclostrobin, thiamethoxam, and atrazine exceeded China's maximum residue limits (MRLs) in two samples each. These findings highlight the need for continued monitoring and targeted control strategies to reduce potential dietary risks associated with pesticide residues in maize.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 111677"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144913349","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advancing plant-based milk alternatives: Challenges, opportunities, and the role of innovative processing technologies","authors":"Harpreet Kaur,&nbsp;Kamaljit Kaur,&nbsp;Diksha Arora","doi":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111671","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foodcont.2025.111671","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lactose intolerance, presence of cholesterol, philosophical, ethical, environmental, religious and social beliefs restrict the consumption of dairy-based foods. In this regard, there is rapid growth in the market for plant-based milk alternatives (PBMAs) derived from grains, legumes, seeds, nuts and pseudo-cereals. However, development of plant-based milk is challenging due to stability issues, reducing their antinutrients, off-flavors, allergens, sensory and technological limitations. These challenges limit consumer acceptance and the overall quality of plant-based beverages.</div><div>Hence, this review aims to comprehensively examine recent advances in innovative food processing technologies that can effectively address these issues and enhance the nutritional, sensory, and functional qualities of PBMAs<strong>.</strong> Technologies such as enzyme-assisted extraction, fermentation, high-pressure processing, and novel blending techniques are discussed in detail to highlight their potential in improving product stability, reducing antinutrients, minimizing undesirable flavors, and overcoming allergenic concerns. Moreover, this review highlights the role of blended plant-based milks in enhancing nutritional profiles and improving functional and sensory attributes, all while minimizing the need for synthetic additives and fortification—aligning with consumer demand for cleaner-label, natural products. In light of the rapid growth in plant-based product innovation and a threefold increase in research focused on plant-based diets over the past few years, a thorough understanding of these emerging technologies is essential to meet market and consumer expectations.</div><div>As the global shift toward sustainable and health-conscious eating accelerates, PBMAs are increasingly positioned as mainstream alternatives to traditional dairy. This review offers valuable guidance to researchers, product developers, and industry professionals aiming to advance formulation strategies, optimize processing techniques, and ultimately boost consumer acceptance and market success of plant-based milk products.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":319,"journal":{"name":"Food Control","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 111671"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144902225","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}