Introduction to Non-Thermal Processing Applications in the Fruit and Vegetable Processing Industry

Abstract

Various non-thermal processing methods adopted in the fruit and vegetable processing industry – which include cold plasma, supercritical fluid CO2, ultrasonication, pulsed electric field, pulsed ultraviolet technology, and ozone – can not only inactivate the microbes but also enhance the quality of processed fruit and vegetable products. The sensory and physico-chemical properties of processed fruit and vegetable products are improved to a greater extent. In this chapter, the various non-thermal processing methods especially adopted for the fruit and vegetable processing industry are discussed in detail.