Non-thermal technologies: Solution for hazardous pesticides reduction in fruits and vegetables.

Pesticide residues in the food above the maximum permissible residual limit (MRL) for safe consumption are a severe concern today. Though unit operations employed in domestic and industrial-scale processing of foods such as high-temperature decontamination and chemical washings degrade the agrochemicals and reduce toxicity, eliminating pesticides from the fresh and raw fruits and vegetables with the retainment of nutritional and organoleptic attributes demand appropriate non-thermal technologies. In this review, the potential of novel technologies like the pulsed electric field, high-pressure processing, irradiation, ozone, ultrasonication, and cold plasma for the reduction of pesticides in fruits and vegetables have been discussed in terms of their mechanism of action, playing around factors, advantages, and limitations.