Sous-vide is a technique of cooking foods in vacuum bags under strictly controlled temperature, offering improved taste, texture and nutritional values along with extended shelf life as compared to the traditional cooking methods. In addition to other constituents, vegetables and seafood represent important sources of phytochemicals. Thus, by applying sous-vide technology, preservation of such foods can be prolonged with almost full retention of native quality. In this way, sous-vide processing meets customers’ growing demand for the production of safer and healthier foods. Considering the industrial points of view, sous-vide technology has proven to be an adequate substitute for traditional cooking methods. Therefore, its application in various aspects of food production has been increasingly researched. Although sous-vide cooking of meats and vegetables is well explored, the challenges remain with seafoods due to the large differences in structure and quality of marine organisms. Cephalopods (e.g., squid, octopus, etc.) are of particular interest, as the changes of their muscular physical structure during processing have to be carefully considered. Based on all the above, this study summarizes the literature review on the recent sous-vide application on vegetable and seafood products in view of production of high-quality and safe foodstuffs.

The effects of high-pressure processing (HPP) (450 MPa/600 MPa/3 min) on the carotenoid and vitamin E contents of smoothies made from strawberry, orange juice, banana and apple, and the same smoothies enriched with dietary fiber from discarded carrots were compared. The contents and bioaccessibilities of these compounds were also evaluated over the course of 28 days at 4 °C. The application of HPP in the formulations significantly increased the contents of β-cryptoxanthin, α-carotene and β-carotene and retained the contents of lutein, zeaxanthin and vitamin E compared to untreated samples. A decreasing trend in the content of each compound was observed with an increase in storage time. The application of HPP initially led to reductions in the bioaccessibility of individual compounds. However, overall, during storage, there was an increase in bioaccessibility. This suggests that HPP influences cell structure, favoring compound release and micelle formation. HPP is a sustainable method that preserves or enhances carotenoid extractability in ready-to-drink fruit beverages. Furthermore, the incorporation of dietary fiber from carrot processing discards supports circular economy practices and enhances the health potential of the product.

Purpose of review This study examines the development of smoothie formulations by combining fruits and vegetables to optimize bioactive properties. It also reviews recent advances in thermal and high pressure processing technologies that improve the shelf life of smoothies while maintaining bioactive potential. Recent findings Incorporating dietary fiber into the formulation of fruit smoothies could favor the retention of bioactive compounds in smoothies during their processing and shelf life. Recent studies show that it is feasible to incorporate fiber from post-harvest vegetable processing discards, thereby promoting circular economy practices. Summary The aim of this study is to develop strategies for formulating smoothies that fully or partially meet the daily requirement of specific bioactive compounds. It will also assess the potential shelf life of these products, taking into account the industrial processing technologies used, and provide insights into optimizing bioactive retention.

En esta investigación se examina la degradación térmica de vitamina C y de compuestos fenólicos en dos batidos frutales: un batido base (BB) y otro con fibra de zanahoria adicionada (BF). Ambos productos son tratados a diferentes temperaturas (70-90 ºC) y tiempos (0-60 min). Los datos experimentales son ajustados considerando modelos de cero y primer orden. Los resultados muestran que la degradación de vitamina C y de cianidina-3-O-glucósido durante el tratamiento térmico sigue una cinética de primer orden en ambos batidos. No se observa un efecto específico de la fibra de zanahoria sobre el contenido de compuestos fenólicos totales. Los valores de z obtenidos para BF indican que la fibra tuvo un efecto protector sobre la termoestabilidad de la vitamina C y la cianidina-3-O-glucósido. Se concluye que este efecto protector junto con el efecto beneficioso del consumo de fibra per se contribuyen a aumentar el potencial bioactivo de batidos tratados térmicamente.