A review on the impact of physical, chemical, and novel treatments on the quality and microbial safety of fruits and vegetables

Abstract

The sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic made people around the world more concerned about health and food safety. As a part of healthy diets, consumption of fruits and vegetables is essential to build strong immunity against various chronic diseases. However, contamination of fruits and vegetables may occur from farm to fork in the food supply chain process, thus affecting their post-harvest quality. Various disinfection technologies have been developed to prevent foodborne outbreaks caused by the consumption of unsafe food. This comprehensive review delves into the fundamental principles of physical, chemical, and novel treatments and their impact on the quality and shelf life of a wide range of fruits and vegetables. Chemical treatments such as chlorine dioxide, ozone, electrolyzed water, high-pressure carbon dioxide, and organic acids, as well as physical treatments, such as hot water blanching, steam blanching, and microwave blanching, have been discussed. Moreover, novel treatments such as cold plasma, UV light, pulsed electric field, and high hydrostatic pressure have also been explored. These treatments can be tailored to specific fruits and vegetables and integrated into food safety protocols to reduce the risk of foodborne outbreaks and improve the shelf life of these products.