Fruit Juice Processing Technologies and Their Impact on the Content of Bioactive Compounds—A Review of Current Approaches

ABSTRACT

Fruit juices are valued for their antioxidant content and role in a balanced diet, prompting growing interest in novel, non‐thermal processing technologies that better preserve nutritional and sensory qualities compared to traditional thermal methods. The purpose of this review was to determine the effect of various fruit juice processing methods on the content of bioactive compounds in fruit juices. This work compares thermal methods with emerging innovative methods such as high pressure processing, sonication, pulsed electric fields, cold atmospheric plasma, and high pressure homogenization. A review of the current literature indicates that sonication is a promising technique, enabling effective product preservation while maintaining its nutritional quality. Furthermore, sonication often does not reduce the antioxidant activity of fruit juices; in fact, they tend to have higher levels of polyphenols, anthocyanins, and vitamin C compared to thermal methods. High pressure processing is a method which eliminates preservatives and stabilizers, while effectively preserving the nutritional value. This method maintains the stability of bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity compared to pasteurization. Cold atmospheric plasma and high pressure processing have also demonstrated high potential, combining effective microbial control with substantial preservation of bioactive compounds. This work presents an up‐to‐date overview (2002–2026) of fruit juice processing technologies, emphasizing the importance of selecting appropriate preservation methods to optimize the nutritional quality of the final product. It also outlines future research directions and highlights the challenges associated with implementing innovative technological solutions in the fruit juice industry.