Abstract
Ensuring the extended shelf life of fruit- and vegetable-based products while preserving their functional and sensory value remains one of the key challenges in modern food technology. Conventional thermal processing effectively ensures microbiological safety; however, it may lead to the degradation of heat-labile vitamins, polyphenols, and natural pigments, as well as to alterations in the structure of the food matrix. This review summarizes current evidence on the application of non-thermal technologies, including high-pressure processing (HPP), pulsed electric fields (PEF), high-pressure homogenization (HPH), ultrasound (US), cold plasma (CP), ultraviolet (UV) radiation, pulsed light (PL), and ionizing radiation (IOR), to the processing of liquid and semi-liquid fruit- and vegetable-based products. Particular attention is given not only to microbial inactivation and shelf-life extension but also to storage stability, residual endogenous enzyme activity, changes in color, rheological, and sensory properties, and modification of the plant matrix. The available evidence indicates that the efficacy of non-thermal processing is determined by the interplay of the mechanism of action, process intensity, product composition and structure, and storage conditions. Under optimized conditions (e.g., HPP at 400–600 MPa and near-ambient temperature; moderate-intensity PEF at 20–40 kV/cm; UV-C doses adjusted for product turbidity), combined with additional hurdles (mild heating to 40–60 °C, refrigerated storage, and low-oxygen-permeability packaging), these technologies can ensure microbiological stability, with vitamin C losses of approximately 5–10% for HPP and 2–10% for moderate-intensity PEF. In contrast, losses associated with US, CP, photochemical methods, and IOR are more variable and may be substantially higher. A comparative analysis of the reviewed studies shows that HPP yields the most consistent results across different matrix types, whereas surface and photochemical methods exhibit more pronounced matrix-dependent variability. Overall, a shift from assessing short-term chemical retention toward validating safety, stability, and functionality throughout the entire shelf life is a key prerequisite for the further development of non-thermally processed products for health-oriented nutrition.