Non-Thermal Green Processing Technologies (HPP, PEF, and Ultrasound) for Milk Preservation: Impact on Bioactive Milk Proteins and Enzymatic Kinetics

High-pressure processing, pulsed electric field processing, and power ultrasound each offer genuine advantages over thermal pasteurization for preserving heat-labile bioactive milk proteins, but none is a universal drop-in replacement. HPP achieves strong microbial inactivation at pressures that can simultaneously compromise pressure-sensitive whey proteins such as β-lactoglobulin and immunoglobulin G, while better preserving lactoferrin and alkaline phosphatase structure. PEF offers the least thermal impact and the strongest protein-preservation profile among the three, but enzyme inactivation is more limited and highly dependent on field strength and specific energy input. Ultrasound alone has minimal effect on indigenous milk enzymes and typically requires combination with mild heat to achieve meaningful inactivation, positioning thermosonication as a hybrid rather than purely non-thermal approach. Across all three technologies, enzyme inactivation kinetics frequently deviate from classical first-order behavior, and accurate process validation increasingly depends on Weibull, biphasic, or technology-specific kinetic models rather than thermal-processing precedent. Continued joint investigation of microbial safety and bioactive protein preservation, supported by robust and technology-appropriate kinetic modeling, will be essential to moving these green processing technologies from laboratory demonstration to validated commercial practice in dairy science.

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