Commercial Feasibility and Viability of Non-Thermal Processing Technologies for the Fruit and Vegetable Processing Industry

Abstract

Applications of non-thermal processing technologies for fruits and vegetable processing industries have their own advantages and disadvantages. The pulse light technique is considered to be one of the quick approaches for disinfecting various fruits and vegetable products with more nutrient retention. But this technique seems to be not chosen for the handling of fruits and vegetables which are irregular in shape. Ultrasound technology can be increased successfully for the fruit and vegetable product processing industry, as it is deemed to be safe as well as eco-friendly. Its only disadvantages are that the fruit and vegetable products’ quality can be reduced as a result of the application of ultrasound due to the formation of free radicals; and the cavitation process may lead to the generation of many free radicals, which can reduce the quality of food products. The application of ultraviolet radiation for treating fresh fruit juice especially watermelon results in the prevention of nutrition degradation, thereby enhancing the quality to a great extent. Antioxidants viz. vitamin C, lycopene, and phenols were preserved very well. Consumer acceptability is the drawback of the commercial application of UV radiation techniques. In the wine industry, high-pressure processing techniques can be adopted to extract bioactive constituents from by-products and their waste, but high-pressure processing cannot be applied to dried and porous food products. By using the cold plasma technique successfully, the microbes which are present on the external surface of food can be well controlled. Surface food decontamination is also possible for use with this technique. The application of plasma is not effective for foods which have an irregular structure, as the plasma cannot penetrate the food particles. This process is implemented at either lab or pilot plant scale level only. Therefore, the processor has to adopt a specific non-thermal technique, which can give good results with respect to product quality as well as commercial feasibility.