Application of pressure treatment for quality control in fresh fruits and vegetables

Abstract

In the past few decades, there has been an increasing awareness of the importance of consuming a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables, which has led to substantial changes in food habits and consumption of humans. To accommodate this awareness, novel postharvest technologies are needed for extending the shelf-life of fresh produce. High-, hyperbaric, and hypobaric pressure methods have been introduced to reduce microbial growth, preserve nutritional quality, and enhance antioxidant enzyme activity in fresh produce. The high-pressure method is the most practical for use in food industry, to inactivate microorganisms in processed products; however, excessive pressure causes physical cell damage when applied to fresh produce. The hypobaric and hyperbaric methods are two emerging techniques highly capable of prolonging the shelf-life of fresh produce. Both hypobaric and hyperbaric methods prevent cellular damage and reduce respiration rates, ethylene production, and microbial growth. However, the mechanism of quality preservation underlying these methods needs to be explored in future studies.