High-Pressure Processing

The chapter discusses the potential of high-pressure processing (HPP) as a non-thermal technology for efficiently extracting "extra nutritional" components from diverse food sources. Bioactive compounds are valued for their health benefits, including antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, and antimicrobial effects. The conventional thermal extraction techniques used in the food industry can be inefficient due to the low thermostability of bioactive compounds, longer extraction times, and lower yield. High-pressure extraction (HPE) is a novel non-thermal technology that can improve the efficiency of bioactive compound extraction without the detrimental effects of heat. The chapter explores how HPE in food disrupts cellular structures, enhancing mass transfer and releasing bioactive components. The key parameters impacting the non-thermal extraction of these bioactive compounds using HPE have been discussed. Further, the chapter discusses the use of HPP to extract bioactive compounds from fruits, vegetables, herbs, and other by-products. It addresses challenges in scaling up, costs, and equipment limitations that affect large-scale implementation in the food industry. The chapter concludes discussing advancements in HPE research that could transform future bioactive compound extraction.