Application of non-thermal technologies as a stress factor to increase the content of health-promoting compounds of minimally processed fruits and vegetables

Abstract

Fruits and vegetables (F&V) are an acknowledged source of health-promoting compounds able to reduce incidence of chronic diseases in regular consumers. Minimally processed F&V are convenience products having a limited shelf-life because of the effect of processing operations. The application of non-thermal technologies could overcome this limitation by improving their preservation. Evidence shows that these technologies can also increase the phytochemicals content by improving their extractability and/or eliciting metabolic pathways associated with their synthesis. This review summarizes the last research on the application of high-pressure processing, gamma irradiation, ultrasound, pulsed electric fields and cold plasma to increase the phytochemicals content in minimally processed F&V, and presents the current understanding on the underlying basis that explain the increase of these compounds.