Practical applications of vacuum impregnation in fruit and vegetable processing

Vacuum impregnation (VI) is considered as a useful technique to quickly introduce external liquids in the porous structures of animal and plant tissues, in a controlled way. As consequence some mass transfer processes (as dewatering) are improved and also some changes in food composition may be produced. VI has broad applications in fruit and vegetable processing and provides many unique advantages. This review analyzes the main factors and responses of porous fruits and vegetables to VI processing, summarizes important developments related to VI applications in the fruit and vegetable industry, and discusses quality aspects of VI processed fruits and vegetables, as well as technical challenges and future research needs in this field. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.