Chemistry Underlying the Behavior of Food and Agricultural Components During Industrial Manufacturing Processes and Its Implications in Quality Assurance, Food Quality, and Food Safety Management: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT

This systematic review synthesizes current evidence from primary research studies published between 2020 and 2026, sourced from reputable databases, focusing on original primary research and high quality reviews. The key components examined include nutrients (e.g., vitamins and minerals), phytochemicals/bioactive compounds (e.g., antioxidants, phenolics, and flavonoids), microbes/probiotics (e.g.,  Lactobacillus spp. and starter cultures), preservatives (e.g., benzoic acid), and food additives (e.g., hydrocolloids). Common industrial processes such as steaming, homogenization, pulsed light treatment, extrusion, drying, pasteurization, and encapsulation were analyzed for their effects on component degradation, transformation, and/or enhancement, and its implications in quality assurance, food quality, and food safety management. Key findings show that thermal processes often degrade heat‐labile nutrients, for example, vitamin C losses of 15%–97%, but enhance the bioavailability of some phytochemicals, for example, chlorogenic acid by 188%. Nonthermal processes such as high‐pressure processing preserve probiotics (viability > 10^8 CFU/g) and microbes. Implications for quality assurance include optimized process parameters to balance nutrient retention and microbial inactivation, reducing economic losses from degradation (roughly 20%–50% in bioactive yields). Tables summarize comparative data across studies. This systematic review underlines the need for integrated management systems to ensure food quality and safety in sustainable production.