Nonthermal Pretreatment Technologies to Improve Drying Efficiency and Quality in Fresh-Cut Fruits and Vegetables: A Comprehensive Review

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.