Processing dairy products by conventional methods, such as pasteurization, can induce chemical reactions and physicochemical alterations, compromising nutritional and sensory quality. Thus, there is a growing worldwide demand for studies related to emerging processing technologies. This study aims to describe trends related to dairy processing through the application of emerging technologies, using a bibliometric analysis. Articles published in this area of research in the last decade were retrieved from scientific databases, and their findings were analyzed through a bibliometric study were accessed through a topic search of the Scopus database, considering period 2010 -2021.
Reviews and original articles expressed 70 and 30% of publications, respectively, being 80% of the papers published until 2015, with the impact factor ranged from 2.998 to 14.227. Novel thermal and non-thermal processing studies showed multidisciplinary approaches. Ohmic heating and microwave heating were the most discussed thermal technologies in the processing of dairy products while for non-thermal technologies, a significant trend in studies on ultrasound, high hydrostatic pressure and pulsed electric fields was observed. The impact of the application of novel food technologies concerning aspects such as quality, safety, and energy efficiency compared to traditional methods and the influence of critical operating conditions for process control were the most studied areas. Furthermore, the impact of novel non-thermal food processing technologies from the consumer's point of view is emerging. These findings can be used for future innovations in the research and development of dairy industry in relation of these topics.