Does high pressure processing influence nutritional aspects of plant based food systems?

High pressure (HP) technology could maintain food quality attributes such as colour, flavour and nutritional values due to its limited effects on covalent bonds. Under pressure, (bio)chemical reactions can also be induced and it could affect those quality attributes, e.g., nutrition value. In this article, the effects of HP on the stability and bioavailability of vitamins in plant based food systems especially in fruit and vegetables are briefly reviewed. Since HP treatment influences the vitamin stability and the extraction yield of some bioactive compounds, its impacts on antioxidant capacity are also further discussed. In this review, the degradation mechanisms of some vitamins during HP treatment are postulated based on current findings. In addition, possible impacts of conducting HP treatment at elevated temperature (such as HP sterilization) on vitamin stability are discussed.