Microwave-enabled ultra-high-temperature sterilization system for bovine milk: From continuous-flow dielectric adaptation to serum protein conservation

Engineering ›› DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2025.08.018

review-article

Huayu Yang ^a^,^b^,^c
, Bowen Yan ^a^,^b
, Yuying Sun ^a^,^b
, Yaxin Huang ^a^,^b
, Huacheng Zhu ^c
, Wei Chen ^a^,^b
, Daming Fan ^a^,^b^,^d^,^*

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Abstract

This study proposes a continuous-flow microwave system as an innovative alternative to conventional steam-based ultra-high-temperature (UHT) processing for liquid foods. To address the complex interactions between microwave energy and fluid matter, we investigated the feasibility and stability of both the three-stub tuner method and electromagnetic-black-hole (EBH) technology. Through an integrated electromagnetic-heat-fluid coupling model, we demonstrated that while the stub tuner system achieved heat conversion efficiencies comparable to the EBH configuration under specific optimized conditions, it exhibited significant parameter sensitivity during tuning processes. In contrast, the EBH system maintained consistent high efficiency across dielectric constant variations (ε′ = 10–80) through its gradient-index structure, though it required precise dielectric loss control to prevent efficiency decay. Proteomic analysis revealed temperature-dependent alterations in milk serum proteins following microwave-UHT treatment. Compared to raw milk, samples processed at 110, 130, and 150 °C showed 401, 426, and 305 significantly upregulated proteins, respectively, with the 130 °C treatment group demonstrating optimal protein preservation. Gene ontology (GO) analysis identified 73 differentially expressed proteins functionally associated with immune regulation, particularly enriched in complement activation and inflammatory response pathways. These findings suggest that moderate microwave-UHT treatment enhances the diversity and quantity of proteins in the milk serum phase, thereby indirectly improving nutritional and functional properties. This study provides insights into the design of continuous-flow microwave-UHT methods and elucidates the impact of high-temperature, short-time microwave processing on the protein composition and potential nutritional properties of bovine milk.

Keywords

Microwave / Bovine milk / Ultra-high-temperature sterilization / Numerical modelling / Proteomics

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Huayu Yang, Bowen Yan, Yuying Sun, Yaxin Huang, Huacheng Zhu, Wei Chen, Daming Fan. Microwave-enabled ultra-high-temperature sterilization system for bovine milk: From continuous-flow dielectric adaptation to serum protein conservation. Engineering DOI:10.1016/j.eng.2025.08.018

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