Drying is a key method for food preservation; however, conventional techniques often lead to the degradation of bioactive compounds, compromising nutritional quality. This systematic review, following the PRISMA protocol, examines emerging food drying technologies designed to enhance process efficiency while preserving nutritional and functional properties. A bibliometric analysis was conducted to identify research trends from 2014 to 2024. Searches were performed in the Scopus and Web of Science databases accessed on 17 January 2025, including only original research articles published in English focusing on food drying applications. Reviews, editorials, and studies unrelated to the food sector were excluded. Due to the technological nature of the outcomes, a formal risk of bias assessment was not applicable. This review highlights several emerging drying technologies, such as microwave, radiofrequency, infrared, ultrasound, freeze-drying, and cold plasma. The qualitative synthesis indicates these technologies improve the retention of phenolics, flavonoids, and vitamins, thus enhancing nutritional stability. Nevertheless, challenges remain in industrial-scale implementation, particularly regarding the economic feasibility and optimization of operational parameters. This review received no funding and was not registered in any public database. The findings underscore the need for continued research to develop sustainable and functional dried food products that meet current market demands and consumer expectations.

Brazil is one of the countries that share a part of the Amazon region that has been called Legal Amazon. Amazon forest offers the most extraordinary biodiversity of flora and fauna on the planet and, on its surface, can cohabit 50% of the total existing living species. According to some botanists, it would contain about 16-20% of the species that exist today. This region has native fruits with antioxidants and antiproliferative activities already reported by some authors. Consumption of these fruits would be an alternative because they are good sources of nutritional constituents, such as minerals, fibre, vitamins, water, and caloric content. However, the number of scientific studies related to their health benefits is still low. Eugenia stipitata, Myrciaria dubia H. B. K. (Mcvough), Endopleura uchi (Huber) Cuatrecasas, Eugenia punicifolia (Kunth) D.C and Garcinia madruno. Among the main compounds reported are the most interesting groups: phenolic compounds, unsaturated fatty acids, carotenoids, phytosterols, and tocopherols, flavonoids, vitamin B, vitamin A, and vitamin C, and carotenoids. The main beneficial effect of the Amazon fruits is the antioxidant effect; other functional properties as medicinal, antimicrobial, antimutagenic, antigenotoxic, antigenotoxic, and antiinflammatory, antinociceptive, antidiabetic, and gastroprotective, are also reported. Therefore, these fruits can be considered a valuable source of functional foods due to their phytochemical compositions and their corresponding antioxidant activities.

O Cerrado é um bioma que possui alta diversidade vegetal. Nos últimos anos houve um aumento nos estudos com frutos nativos, no entanto, informações sobre as características desses frutos ainda são limitadas ou inexistentes. Estudos clínicos e epidemiológicos têm mostrado evidências de que antioxidantes de cereais, frutas e vegetais são os principais fatores que contribuem para a redução de incidência de doenças crônicas e degenerativas encontradas em populações cujas dietas são altas na ingestão desses alimentos. Reconhece-se que os efeitos na saúde devido aos alimentos ingeridos estão geralmente associados a atividades antioxidantes. Os frutos podem são uma fonte inesgotável de recursos nutricionais, pois possuem compostos bioativos. Esses compostos atuam como removedores de radicais livres ou quelantes de metais. A importante atividade antioxidante dos compostos fenólicos pode ser utilizada em alimentos processados ​​como antioxidante natural. Serão apresentados o potencial e ação antioxidante oito frutos do Cerrado e seus principais compostos bioativos. Palavras-chave: frutos, antioxidante, compostos bioativos