Minimally processed foods: Overview

Abstract

Over the past decades, consumers want fresh like foods with their natural nutritive values and sensory attributes, such as flavor, odor, texture and taste (Huxley et al. 2004). Fresh fruits and vegetables are the good examples of convenient foods. This growing consumers’ demandof minimally processed foods with no or lesser synthetic additives pose challenges to food technologists. In addition, demand of functional foods to prevent or control of diseases are growing (Monteiro et al. 2011). All these demands force to develop safe foods with minimal processing techniques (Gilbert 2000). This is not a simple task to produce safe minimally processed foods with desired shelf-life.