Aonla, commonly known as Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica), is a plant native to India with various therapeutic and dietary benefits. This review covers the taxonomical, morphological, and species-level classifications of aonla fruit, including its flower biology, maturation, harvesting, and yield metrics. It also discusses the nutritional, physico-chemical, and phytochemical characteristics and the total antioxidant and antimicrobial activities and mineral compositions of several aonla fruit cultivars. Additionally, the health benefits of aonla are reviewed, including its analgesic, antipyretic, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, ulcerogenic, chemo-protective, neuroprotective, free radical scavenging, hypoglycaemic, and immunogenic properties, which make it beneficial in the treatment and prevention of various illnesses. Further various forms of fruit extract are also considered to be beneficial for the improvement of plant and animal health. Overall, aonla is a valuable fruit with significant potential for use in improving human health.

Cutting-edge drying technologies represent a paradigm shift in the food industry, offering unique solutions to increase the efficiency, sustainability, and quality of the food drying process. The incorporation of vacuum freeze-drying, microwave drying, infrared drying, and other innovative processes has expanded the food processing sector's horizons. The development of hybrid drying systems that integrate several technologies produces synergistic benefits that improve overall performance. The advantages of novel drying methods include minimising heat exposure, increasing rehydration ratio, lowering bulk density and weight, and reducing the risk of microbial contaminations and oxidative damage to fruit juice powder to preserve its colour, texture, nutritional and bioactive component. The review discusses about the foam mat drying process, which can be utilised in microencapsulation and nano emulsion, while also addressing the problems related to agglomerations and nutritional property degradation in fruit juice powders.