Effectiveness of ultrasound pretreatment on dried plant-based food quality:  A meta-analysis

Tri  Yulni; Leopold Oscar  Nelwan; Sutrisno  Suro Mardjan; Lamhot Parulian  Manalu; Nunik  Lestari; Lusiana Kresnawati  Hartono; Waqif  Agusta; Tantry Eko Putri Mariastuty; Eko  Pratama Astin; Garusti  Garusti

Authors

Tri Yulni Research Center for Equipment Manufacturing Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), South Tangerang 15310, Indonesia
Leopold Oscar Nelwan Department of Mechanical and Biosystem Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, IPB University, Bogor 16680, Indonesia
Sutrisno Suro Mardjan Center for Research on Engineering Applications in Tropical Agriculture (CREATA), IPB University, Bogor 16680, Indonesia
Lamhot Parulian Manalu Research Center for Equipment Manufacturing Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), South Tangerang 15310, Indonesia
Nunik Lestari Department of Agroindustrial Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Makassar 90221, Indonesia
Lusiana Kresnawati Hartono Research Center for Process Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), South Tangerang 15310, Indonesia
Waqif Agusta Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
Tantry Eko Putri Mariastuty Research Center for Process Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), South Tangerang 15310, Indonesia
Eko Pratama Astin Research Center for Equipment Manufacturing Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), South Tangerang 15310, Indonesia
Garusti Garusti Research Center for Food Technology and Processing, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), South Tangerang 15310, Indonesia

Keywords:

Drying, Flavonoid, Food preservation, Phenol, Ultrasonic

Abstract

Importance of the work: Ultrasound has promising potential for pretreatment to enhance drying
quality; however, there is a lack of quantitative synthesis across commodities and conditions.
Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of ultrasound pretreatment on dried plant-based products and
to investigate the effects of commodity category, ultrasound pretreatment (UP) parameters and drying
parameters based on subgroup analyses.
Materials and Methods: A meta-analysis of 55 Scopus-indexed studies was conducted using
OpenMEE and applying Hedges’d and a random-effects model. The key quality parameters analyzed
were color, rehydration ratio (RR), flavonoids (TFC), phenolics (TPC), vitamin C, antioxidant capacity
based on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) antioxidant assay and water activity (Aw). Subgroup
analyses examined commodity category, as well as ultrasound and drying parameters.
Results: Ultrasound pretreatment significantly (p < 0.05) improved most quality parameters,
except DPPH and vitamin C. Large effect sizes were observed for RR (3.339), TFC (2.093),
TPC (0.876) and Aw (–2.096). High heterogeneity (inconsistency index >75%) indicated substantial
inter-study variability, necessitating subgroup analyses. These analyses confirmed that commodity
categories, ultrasound pretreatment parameters (equipment, sample-to-water ratio, frequency, power,
duration, temperature) and drying parameters (method and temperature) significantly influenced UP
effectiveness.
Main finding: UP consistently improved multiple quality parameters, especially color stability,
rehydration ratio, bioactive compound retention and water activity. Subgroup analysis revealed
that treatment using 28 kHz, 300 W and 30°C for 30 min, followed by hot-air drying at 60°C,
was particularly favorable for enhancing the drying quality of low-porosity root crops