Assisted extraction of phenolic compounds by pressure-based technologies

Consumer awareness for healthier and more natural foods is increasing, promoting fruit and vegetable consumption, leading to a considerable increase of food by-products, with several environmental concerns associated. Because fruits and vegetables are rich in bioactive compounds, their by-products can be interesting sources of phenolic compounds, allowing a resources’ circular use, as part of a more environmentally sustainable economy. Extraction of these high-value components is commonly performed by conventional thermal techniques; however, due to several disadvantages/limitations, new methods are replacing them, using emergent (mainly nonthermal) technologies. These new technologies are considered environmentally friendlier and of easier scale-up because they allow the use of smaller amounts of solvents, the reduction of extraction time, and energy consumption, also leading to higher yields and higher-quality of final extracts. In this chapter, the most recent literature on the extraction of phenolic compounds from fruit and vegetable residues using pressure-based technologies is presented and discussed.