Nonthermal stabilization processes

The processing of food by nonthermal technologies—such as high pressure, pulsed electric fields, and ultrasound—is gaining relevance within the food industry. Fresh-tasting foods along with minimal impact on nutritional attributes, low energy consumption, minimal and fast processing, environmental-friendliness, effectiveness at inactivating pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms some of the characteristics making these technologies so attractive. This chapter focuses on the affect of selected nonthermal-processing technologies on the stability of bioactive compounds in a number of foods. A brief description of these technologies is also included.