Abstract:Color is a very important apparent attribute of fruit and vegetable, which is highly related to the natural pigments contained in fruits and vegetables, and is one of the important indicators for judging whether their quality has changed. Thermal and non-thermal processing technologies are widely used in the processing of fruit and vegetable products. Traditional processing technology of fruit and vegetable are mainly thermal processing such as hot peeling, blanching, alkali peeling, drying and frying. The high temperature used in processing can easily cause irreversible effects on the color and quality of fruit and vegetable. In recent years, novel thermal and non-thermal processing technologies have been gradually explored. Non-thermal processing technologies such as enzymatic peeling, infrared treatment, ultrasonic treatment, pulsed electric field, high-pressure treatment and cold plasma have played a positive role in maintaining the color of fruit and vegetable processing. However, currently there are fewer discussions and comparative studies on the impact of the two processing technologies on the color of processed fruit and vegetable products, and it is of great significance to clarify the principle, conditions of use, process parameters, and advantages and disadvantages of each method for processing high-quality fruit and vegetable products. Therefore, this paper outlines the structural characteristics and physicochemical properties of each pigment, summarizes and compares the key technical points of thermal and non-thermal processing technologies and their effects on the color stability of fruits and vegetables. Finally, some suggestions are put forward to address the challenges during the processing of fruit and vegetable, to provide guidance for the application of thermal and non-thermal processing technologies in color preservation of fruits and vegetables.
