Abstract
Phenolic compounds from fruits and vegetables have shown antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, among other beneficial properties for human health. All these benefits have motivated multiple studies about preserving, extracting, and even increasing the concentration of these compounds in foods. A diverse group of vegetable products treated with High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP) at different pressure and time have shown higher phenolic content than their untreated counterparts. The increments have been associated with an improvement in their extraction from cellular tissues and even with the activation of the biosynthetic pathway for their production. The application of HHP from 500 to 600 MPa, has been shown to cause cell wall disruption facilitating the release of phenolic compounds from cell compartments. HPP treatments ranging from 15 to 100 MPa during 10–20 min at room temperature have produced changes in phenolic biosynthesis with increments up to 155%. This review analyzes the use of HHP as a method to increase the phenolic content in vegetable systems. Phenolic content changes are associated with either an immediate stress response, with a consequent improvement in their extraction from cellular tissues, or a late stress response that activates the biosynthetic pathways of phenolics in plants.
Highlights
Phenolics are a group of specialized metabolites with antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory activity, among other biological properties for human health [1,2]
This review analyzes the mechanisms for phenolic increment in vegetables and fruits immediately after high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment and during storage, differentiating between increment due to cellular disruption or activation of the metabolic pathways for compound biosynthesis
Several studies using pressures from 10 to 100 MPa at treatment times from 10 to 20 min at room temperature have been tested immediately after processing or during the storage at different temperatures and relative humidities; and the results have revealed a change in phenolics biosynthesis with increments up to 155%
Summary
Phenolics are a group of specialized metabolites with antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory activity, among other biological properties for human health [1,2]. Thermal treatments are frequently used during fruit and vegetable processing to inactivate pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms and enzymes to ensure food safety and quality [5] These treatments can decrease the nutritional value by reducing thermosensitive bioactive compounds, along with modifying texture, taste, and flavor [5,6]. The increments have been associated with the release of these compounds from cellular compartments, resulting in increased extractability due to the mechanical stress occurring during the pressurization, which compacts the cellular morphology, cell wall, and organelles [18] Another mechanism for the increment is related to the immediate response of plants to generate signaling molecules that activate pathways that regulate gene expressions or with the late response associated with higher enzyme activity produced by the signaling molecules generated in the immediate response, which activate the biosynthesis of specialized metabolites [19]. This review analyzes the mechanisms for phenolic increment in vegetables and fruits immediately after HHP treatment and during storage, differentiating between increment due to cellular disruption (improvement of extraction yield) or activation of the metabolic pathways for compound biosynthesis
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