In recent years, the developments in food processing and food preservation technologies have geared towards more sustainable production concepts. This transition is driven by the demands of the processing industries, governments, and consumers for a production pattern that is more non-polluting, conserving of energy and natural resources, and carbon neutral. Acoustic energy when it transmits through a food matrix at a frequency beyond human hearing threshold, often termed as ultrasound, is such a technology that has drawn much attention as a candidate for sustainable food production. Ultrasound is generated from a piezoelectric crystal when an alternating electrical potential is applied to it. If the energy form used for generating electricity is carbon neutral or is with a low carbon footprint, then ultrasound technology provides a carbon neutral or low carbon footprint food processing and preservation production option. According to energy level and frequency, ultrasound falls into two distinct categories – power ultrasound and diagnostic ultrasound. Power ultrasound, or high intensity ultrasound operates at a relatively low frequency with a high sound intensity, whereas diagnostic ultrasound or high frequency ultrasound works at a much higher frequency Power ultrasound is often used as a process intensification method and will be the focus of this session. When applying to food processing, power ultrasound has shown successes in areas such as homogenization, size reduction, bacterial and enzyme inactivation, defoaming, cleaning and sanitation, dehydration, extraction, and other process intensification applications. In this session, the research progresses in the application of power and diagnostic ultrasound for enhancement of food safety, process efficiency, and product quality will be summarized in two presentations: (1) synergistic combination of power/diagnostic ultrasound with food grade compounds to improve microbial food safety in fresh produce and (2) non-thermal ultrasound contact drying of fruits and vegetables. Speakers: Rohan Tikekar, PhD, Hao Feng, PhD