Advances in Postharvest Processing to Enhance the Safety and Quality of Agri-Food

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 September 2024) | Viewed by 875

Special Issue Editors

School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637459, Singapore
Interests: food safety and processing; food quality control; postharvest physiology; microbiology; foodomics
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Guest Editor
School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou, China
Interests: postharvest storage; food quality and safely control; biological control; regulation of fruit disease resistance; fruit ripening and senescence

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Postharvest fruits and vegetables are subject to various physiological and biochemical changes, eventually leading to quality deterioration (browning, softening, loss of nutritional value, etc.). Moreover, they are rich in nutrients that provide favorable conditions for the growth of microorganisms. As a result, they are highly susceptible to pathogens throughout their life cycles. Recently, various new technologies and approaches (physical, chemical, and biological) have been applied to postharvest studies on disease, quality, and safety control. Many have exhibited promising results and practice. In this Special Issue, the objective is to highlight the different innovative findings in postharvest preservation, food nutrition control, the regulation mechanisms of fruit disease resistance, and the control of foodborne pathogens. This Special Issue also welcomes any research that utilizes big data analytics (e.g., foodomics, machine learning) to address a comprehensive understanding of postharvest control.

Dr. Lin Chen
Dr. Rui Li
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • postharvest storage
  • food quality and safety
  • fruit disease resistance
  • biological control
  • postharvest processing
  • foodomics

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 2501 KiB  
Article
Different Pretreatment Methods to Strengthen the Microwave Vacuum Drying of Honeysuckle: Effects on the Moisture Migration and Physicochemical Quality
by Xiaoping Yang, Zhengying Ma, Fangxin Wan, Ao Chen, Wenkang Zhang, Yanrui Xu, Zepeng Zang and Xiaopeng Huang
Foods 2024, 13(22), 3712; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13223712 - 20 Nov 2024
Viewed by 466
Abstract
In this study, we analyzed the effects of three pretreatment methods—microwave, steam, and blanching—on the quality of Honeysuckle to determine the optimal pretreatment method; we then investigated the influence of different drying temperatures, vacuum levels, and rotation speeds on the drying characteristics, color, [...] Read more.
In this study, we analyzed the effects of three pretreatment methods—microwave, steam, and blanching—on the quality of Honeysuckle to determine the optimal pretreatment method; we then investigated the influence of different drying temperatures, vacuum levels, and rotation speeds on the drying characteristics, color, and active ingredient content of the Honeysuckle that was pretreated by the optimal pretreatment method during rotary microwave vacuum drying. The results indicated that a microwave pretreatment for 75 s was the optimal pretreatment method, which enhanced the retention of active ingredients and effectively improved the browning of the material. During the process of rotary microwave vacuum drying, as the temperature increased, the vacuum level rose, and the rotation speed increased, the drying rate gradually increased. However, excessively high vacuum levels and rapid rotation speeds could actually decrease the drying rate. In addition, the total phenols, total flavonoids, antioxidant activity, and various active ingredients of Honeysuckle dried by rotary microwave vacuum were effectively preserved. Furthermore, its rehydration properties and color were significantly superior to those dried through sun drying. The TIOPSIS method analysis showed that the optimal process parameters were a temperature of 50 °C, a vacuum level of −0.070 MPa, and a rotation speed of 35 Hz, which exhibited the highest relative closeness (0.76). The comprehensive analysis indicated that microwave pretreatment followed by rotary microwave vacuum drying was a promising drying method with potential applications in the dehydration of agricultural products and medicinal plants. Full article
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