Non‐Ionizing Processing Technologies for Meat: Mechanistic Insights, Safety Enhancement, and Sustainable Applications

Meat is a vital component of the human diet, yet its vulnerability to microbial contamination during production, processing, and storage presents serious public health concerns and economic losses. Conventional decontamination methods, including chemical sanitizers and heat treatments, may degrade meat quality, leave harmful residues, and require high energy input. This review explores emerging non‐ionizing technologies—ultrasonication, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, microwave irradiation, and pulsed light (PL)—as sustainable alternatives for improving meat safety and quality. Ultrasonication uses acoustic cavitation to disrupt microbial cells, while UV and PL inactivate pathogens by damaging microbial DNA and proteins. Microwave irradiation offers effective volumetric heating while retaining nutritional and sensory attributes. The review presents a comparative analysis of these techniques, discussing their benefits, limitations, and potential roles in the meat industry. Integration into multi‐hurdle strategies, alongside packaging and antimicrobial agents, is also considered. Finally, it highlights the challenges of scalability, cost, and regulatory approval for broader adoption.