**Preface to "Thermal and Non-Thermal Treatments to Preserve and Encourage Bioactive Compounds in Fruit and Vegetables Based Products"**

Fruit- and vegetable-based products (F&Vs) have been conventionally processed using thermal techniques such as pasteurization, scalding, and/or 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. To contribute to the knowledge of novel thermal and non-thermal techniques in the production of F&Vs and their derivatives, we present this Special Issue, "Thermal and Non-Thermal Treatments to Preserve and Encourage Bioactive Compounds in Fruitand Vegetable-Based Products".

The 13 papers (divided into three blocks: thermal and non-thermal treatments on whole fruits; thermal and non-thermal treatments on fruit and vegetable byproducts; and thermal and non-thermal treatments on fruit-based beverages and purees) published in this Special Issue are ´ a strong representation of the research activities addressing the topic of thermal and non-thermal treatments for preserving and encouraging bioactive compounds in F&V commodities (whole, byproducts, and F&V-based products). Finally, most of the authors who have contributed to this issue concluded that further research in their topic is required if we are to optimize the conditions of "green" and sustainable technologies for maintaining the functionality and safety of fruit- and vegetable-based products. All the sources of funding of this Special Issue are described in each paper and the editors are grateful to all the contributors and their particular financial support.

#### **Marina Cano-Lamadrid and Francisco Art´es-Hern´andez** *Editors*
