Nowadays, food treatment technologies are constantly evolving due to an increasing demand for healthier and tastier food with longer shelf lives. In this review, our aim is to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of some of the most exploited industrial techniques for food processing and microorganism deactivation, dividing them into those that exploit high temperatures (pasteurization, sterilization, aseptic packaging) and those that operate thanks to their inherent chemical–physical principles (ultrasound, ultraviolet radiation, ozonation, high hydrostatic pressure). The traditional thermal methods can reduce the number of pathogenic microorganisms to safe levels, but non-thermal technologies can also reduce or remove the adverse effects that occur using high temperatures. In the case of ultrasound, which inactivates pathogens, recent advances in food treatment are reported. Throughout the text, novel discoveries of the last decade are presented, and non-thermal methods have been demonstrated to be more attractive for processing a huge variety of foods. Preserving the quality and nutritional values of the product itself and at the same time reducing bacteria and extending shelf life are the primary targets of conscious producers, and with non-thermal technologies, they are increasingly possible.

Varied cereal plants including, mushrooms, yeast, bacteria and algae are important sources of β-glucans, and many extraction procedures have been used in order to recover these valuable naturally occurring polysaccharides. The rheological and molecular properties of β-glucans can be utilized to be incorporated into various foods and to offer properties extremely beneficial to human health. Their functional effects are mainly determined by their molecular and structural characteristics. Consumption of foods fortified and enriched with β-glucans can contribute to the treatment of certain chronic diseases. Reduced cholesterol, cardiovascular and diabetic risk and moderate glycemic response of foods have been recorded with the consumption of these biologically active compounds. In addition, β-glucans are characterized by anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiviral activities. As β-glucans interact with the foods in which they are incorporated, this review aims to discuss recent applications with quality and nutritional results of β-glucans incorporation with foods such as beverages, dairy, bakery, meat and pasta products, as well as their addition in animal feeds and their uses in other fields such as medicine.