A systematic review of recent advances in ultrasound-assisted food processing: Applications, hybrid technologies, and sustainability

Ultrasound-assisted food processing has become a feasible non-thermal technology that can improve the processing efficiency, quality and sustainability of food systems in the contemporary food industry. This study presents a systematic and bibliometric review of the literature published from 2015–2025, which will help trace the intellectual framework, development of research, and future trends in the application of ultrasound in food processing. Bibliometric searches were performed using established science-mapping tools to assess publication growth, impactful journals, top countries, institutions, authors, and collaboration networks, supported by co-occurrence analysis of keywords, thematic mapping, and trend topic searches. The findings demonstrate that research output is rapidly growing, with significant international collaboration, mainly driven by China and facilitated by Europe, Asia, and Latin America. The main areas of core research are ultrasound-assisted extraction, drying kinetics, mass transfer enhancement, and quality preservation based on cavitation mechanisms. The application of ultrasound in food processing operations, including cleaning, cutting, drying, cooking, pasteurisation, thawing, cooling, homogenization, tenderization, freezing, and crystallization, was discussed. Recent studies focus more on functional properties, bioactive compounds and hybrid processing methods that combine ultrasound with other emerging technologies. Despite methodological maturity, there are still problems in scalability, standardisation, energy measurements, and safety verification. Thus, this review shows that ultrasound-assisted food processing is moving beyond exploratory investigation toward integrated, application-oriented research, providing a stronger evidence base to support future technological advancement, industrial implementation, and sustainable innovation in food processing systems.