Nature represents an amazing source of inspiration, since it produces a great diversity of natural compounds selected by evolution, which exhibit multiple biological activities and applications. A large and very active research field is dedicated to identifying biosynthesized compounds, to improve/develop new methodologies, to produce/reuse natural compounds, and to assess their potential for pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries, among others, and additionally, to understand their mechanism of action. This book is dedicated to presenting the most recent results on the development of natural compounds’ applications. Ten original research works, organized by applications, and two reviews are included. Each of them contributes to the knowledge advance, insofar as they present new applications for known products, new methodologies to obtain new products, or the evaluation of a given application, with the applications related to health promotion being the most frequently considered. These works are significant contributions and reinforce the dynamic field of natural products’ applications.

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This book is focused on the existing gap between the theoretical bioactivity of (poly)phenols and their real influence in terms of health, once ingested. Due to this, new studies are needed and some examples of new tendencies are included from in vitro and in vivo models which allow for exploring bioaccessibility, bioavailability, and bioactivity, that need to be developed to understand the actual importance of consuming functional foods, rich in these plant secondary metabolites. Moreover, current new strategies need to be developed to enhance the content of these foods, as well as setting up new formulations rich in bioaccessible and bioavailable compounds. Altogether, it could provide a new perspective in therapy, expanding the use of these natural functional compounds, ingredients, and foods in the clinical frame, reducing the use of synthetic drugs. As a result, the joint contribution of multidisciplinary experts from the areas of food science, health, and nutrition, together with the industrial sector, would help to reach these objectives. Taking this into account, diverse studies have been included in this study, which comprises different strategies to approach these objectives from different, complementary, points of view, ranging from the enrichment of by-products in bioactive compounds, through different agricultural techniques, to the assimilation of these compounds by the human body, both in vitro and in vivo, as well as by clinical studies.

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Fruit- and vegetable-based products (F&Vs) have been conventionally processed using thermal techniques such as pasteurization, scalding, and/and drying, ensuring microbial safety and/or enzyme deactivation. Although thermal treatments are the most cost-effective tools, they could also reduce bioactive compounds, nutrients, and even sensory attributes. Nowadays, non-thermal food-processing technologies such as UV light and high-pressure processing have been proposed to develop food products with extended shelf life and preserved/encouraged bioactive compounds, while preserving the sensory properties. This reprint addresses the existing knowledge gaps of novel thermal and non-thermal techniques in the production of F&Vs and their derivatives. This reprint focuses on the effect of thermal and non-thermal treatments (light stresses, high hydrostatic pressure, pulse electric fields, oscillating magnetic fields, cold plasma, ultrasound, drying, etc.) on shelf-life, key bioactive compound changes (antioxidants, nutraceuticals, flavonoids, and non-flavonoids), enzymatic antioxidant systems, and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems of fruit- and vegetable-based products. Apart from an editorial written by the guest editors, the Special Issue consists of 13 papers that cover a range of subjects: thermal and non-thermal treatments on whole fruits (n = 4); thermal and non-thermal treatments on fruit and vegetable byproducts (n = 3); and, thermal and non-thermal treatments on fruit-based beverages and purées (n = 6).

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