Contemporary food processing techniques as emerging alternatives to enhance bioactive profile of food: A review

Abstract

The efficacy of non-thermal processing techniques such as on microbial safety of food is already known. From last few years, these technologies are being explored for their extended applications. Present day, popularity of functional foods is on peak due to potential health benefits. Phenolic compounds are the major constituents of these functional foods credited for imparting positive impacts against health related concerns. This effect is generally attributed to the presence of antioxidant properties. The knowledge on the impact of these innovative modifications on bioactive profile of food is still in its infancy. The objective of this review paper is to integrate the recent findings presenting the enhancement in the biofunctional components of food using novel food processing approaches and draw generalized conclusions. The processes discussed here are cold plasma, high pressure processing, and pulsed electric field. Overall, these techniques have proven to be far better than conventional processes like pasteurization in retention of biologically active compounds. Almost all the food groups like fruits and vegetables, dairy, cereals, and meat are taken into consideration.