Meat manufacturers are nowadays in a very unenviable position. Both meat and meat products require the utilization of various additives due to their chemical composition. On the other hand, consumers demand fresh, additive-free, and high-quality products with extended shelf-life, which might be considered as healthier, even functional food. These facts push manufacturers and researchers in pursuit of modern technologies and supplements to meet these high demands. Since a high daily intake of sodium and fat might cause severe health issues, reducing these ingredients in meat products is the first task towards healthier food. Sodium can be reduced by ultrasound, high-pressure processing, pulsed electric field, and replacement of NaCl with KCl, calcium gluconate, calcium glycerophosphate, calcium lactate, and monosodium glutamate. The reduction of the fat content can be achieved through a decrease in the amount of fatty tissue in the inital mixture and/or replacement with non-lipid components, or by partial fatty tissue replacement with oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Utilization of plant proteins (soy, wheat gluten, pea, chickpea, lentil, potato, barley, oat, rice, etc.), mycoproteins or micro-algae proteins, plant fats (palm and coconut fat, canola, sunflower, soy and corn oil, etc.), and polysaccharides (starches, fibers), accompanied by a meat-like fibrous structure, resulted in delicious “meat” products, which are considered a healthier alternative to real meat. Growing interest in the replacement of potentially adverse synthetic meat additives favors the use of plant (herb, fruit and vegetable) extracts, as an endless source of bioactive substances with strong antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. These extracts can be used either in raw meat or meat products, as well as in the fodder. Reformulation strategies strengthen and ensure the willingness of consumers to pay a higher price for their own demands regarding the naturalness of synthetic, clean-labeled, additive-free meat products. After a gradual alignment with strategic national/international recommendations and legal/sub-legal frameworks, the added value of such meat products opens wide the door to new segments/entire markets.

The aim of this study was to compare the aromatic profile of plum spirits, obtained from the Požegača and Stanley varieties, as affected by different combinations of pre-distillation steps used in traditional and six modified production methods that are common in Serbian distilleries. Traditional plum spirits (produced from spontaneously fermented mashes of crushed plums with stones distilled after two months of storage) had the highest contents of ethyl acetate, benzaldehyde, and total acids, which resulted in the occurrence of an unpleasant solvent-like and stone-like odour and acidic taste. These sensory defects were overcome by the distillation of fermented mashes immediately after the completion of alcoholic fermentation. Depending on the combination of the pre-distillation steps, plum spirits from mashes distilled immediately after alcoholic fermentation were characterized by different aromatic profiles: closer to traditional (from spontaneously fermented crushed plums with/without stones) or with a more pronounced fruity character (from pulped plums without stones regardless of the way of fermentation). These differences in aroma profiles have arisen mostly because of the significantly different contents and OAVs of ethyl esters and volatile fatty acids. The appropriate combination of the pre-distillation steps, which is adapted to the variety, can significantly improve the quality of the plum spirit compared to the traditionally produced spirit.

The preservation of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables through dehydration is undergoing a paradigm shift to overcome quality degradation and high energy intensity associated with conventional thermal drying. This review synthesizes advancements in innovative pretreatments, focusing on their mechanisms, synergistic effects, and industrial readiness. Non-thermal pretreatment (NTP) methods—including Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF), Ultrasound (US), Cold Plasma (CP), and High-Pressure Processing (HPP)—are evaluated alongside optimized Osmotic Dehydration (OD) and Freeze-Thaw (FT) cycles. Analysis reveals these technologies enhance drying kinetics, reducing processing time by 20–55%, while improving bioactive retention by 30–95%. A critical discussion of Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) distinguishes commercially mature solutions like OD (TRL 9) and HPP (TRL 8–9) from emerging pilot-scale concepts like US and PEF (TRL 6–7). Cold Plasma remains at TRL 4–5 due to uniformity challenges. Furthermore, the higher capital expenditure of innovative systems is mitigated by operational energy savings (up to 50%) and “clean label” premiums. This paper provides a strategic framework to optimize pretreatment selection based on tissue matrices and economic viability.

Due to high water content, chokeberries (Aronia melanocarpa L.) are perishable. Therefore, energy-saving, combined drying technologies have been explored to improve the chokeberry drying. The combined microwave and the traditional convective drying method (MCD) have significantly enhanced the drying effectiveness, efficiency, and energy utilization rate and improved product quality. The MCD method, which implies the microwave power (MD) of 900 W for 9 s and the convective dehydration (CD) at 230 °C for 12 s, has the shortest dehydration time t (24 ± 2 min), has the maximum coefficient of diffusion (D_eff = 6.0768 × 10⁻⁹ ± 5.9815 × 10⁻¹¹ m² s⁻¹), and represents the most energy effective for dehydration process (E_min = 0.382 ± 0.036 kWh). A higher water-holding capacity (WHC) characterized the chokeberries obtained by the MCD method compared to the regular microwave method (MD). The mildest MCD (15 s of MD on 900 W, 7 s of CD on 180 °C) could dehydrate chokeberries with the highest WHC (685.71 ± 40.86 g H₂O g⁻¹ d.m.) and the greatest evaluations for sensory attributes in terms of all properties. The results of this study provide the drying behavior of chokeberries that can help develop efficient drying methods and improve existing ones.

In order to preserve the quality of apple fruit, it is crucial to choose the most suitable storage technology. Nevertheless, it is also important to maintain the quality of apples during the shelf life period. In this study, changes in various biochemical quality parameters of ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Idared’ apples during a prolonged shelf life period, after conventional normal atmosphere (NA) and ultra-low oxygen (ULO) storage, were investigated. After the harvest, the fruit of examined cultivars were stored in two atmospheres for six months. Weight loss, changes in content of sugars, organic acids, total phenols, total flavonoids, pectic fractions, and antioxidant capacity were monitored. Samples were evaluated immediately after removal from the cold chambers and after 10 and 20 days of shelf life at 20 °C. ‘Golden Delicious’ apples stored in ULO exhibited better qualitative characteristics during 20 days of shelf life compared with apples of the same cultivar stored in NA. However, evaluated traits in ‘Idared’ apples from NA chambers were of higher quality in comparison with ‘Idared’ apples stored in the ULO atmosphere.