High-pressure processing of berry and other fruit products: implications for bioactive compounds and food safety.

Fruits contain a variety of nutrients and polyphenols that are associated with health benefits. Year-round availability of fresh fruits is limited due to perishability. Processing fruits extends shelf life. Individual quick-frozen fruit is the most common for fruits, but nowadays, processing fruits into beverages offers extended shelf life and new market opportunities. Conventional thermal processing is an effective method for producing safe, extended shelf life, and shelf-stable products, including beverages. However, the high temperatures negatively affect nutritive quality by destroying essential nutrients and biologically active "non-essential" components such as polyphenols. Therefore, novel technologies that can preserve nutrient quality while ensuring food safety are warranted. In this review, the application of high-pressure processing (HPP) for preserving nutrients and phytochemicals while ensuring microbiological safety in beverages and other foods containing fruits is discussed.