Sustainable Dairy Preservation Through Ultrasound: Enhancing Safety, Shelf Life, and Quality: A Review

This study explores ultrasound as a nonthermal technology for dairy preservation, addressing consumer demand for safe, high‐quality, minimally processed foods with extended shelf life. Ultrasound′s mechanism relies on acoustic cavitation, which disrupts microbial cells and inactivates enzymes, thereby enhancing product safety and preserving nutritional and sensory attributes. This review assesses ultrasound′s comparative effectiveness alongside other nonthermal techniques like high‐pressure processing (HPP), pulsed electric fields (PEFs), and cold plasma. Applications in microbial inactivation, homogenization, and texture enhancement in products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese are thoroughly examined. Furthermore, the study highlights recent advancements in ultrasonic equipment, including flow‐through systems and sonoprobes, optimized for dairy applications. Environmental benefits—most notably, reduced energy and water use—are also discussed in relation to sustainability goals. Potential challenges, including scalability, uniformity, and free radical formation, are discussed alongside strategies to mitigate adverse effects. Future directions suggest integration with smart sensing technologies and other nonthermal methods to enhance process control and food quality further. Ultrasound, thus, represents a viable, eco‐friendly approach for improving dairy safety and quality, aligning with modern production and consumer standards.