Non-Thermal Technologies in Beverage Processing: Advances in Quality Preservation, Safety, and Sustainability—An Updated Review

Non-thermal technologies offer promising alternatives to heat-based beverage processing by preserving fresh-like quality while ensuring microbiological safety, yet integrated assessments of their industrial scalability and sustainability remain limited. This review therefore examines the development of major non-thermal technologies over the past decade (2015–2025), including pulsed electric field (PEF), ultrasound (US), cold plasma (CP), and high-pressure processing (HPP), assessing their preservation efficiency, industrial scalability, sustainability potential, and practical constraints. The study revealed that the non-thermal technologies effectively inactivate pathogens and enzymes that degrade quality while preserving vitamins, phenolics, pigments, and sensory characteristics in fruit and plant-based beverages. In addition, the lower energy consumption and fewer chemical additives lead to reduced thermal inputs and support sustainability goals for clean-label production. However, the industrial implementation remains challenging compared to laboratory scale due to high equipment and maintenance costs. Different problems with industrial adaptation include continuous flow processing, ensuring treatment in large volumes, packaging compatibility, and regulatory barriers. Certain techniques also present risks of oxidative change or incomplete spore inactivation, requiring process optimization. Overall, this review concludes that non-thermal technologies hold substantial promises for future beverage innovation, but overcoming scale-up, cost, and regulatory barriers will be essential to accelerate their commercial adoption.