## 1 Introduction  
The prevention of the growth of pathogenic microorganisms in food has advanced through the development of various preservation systems [1]. One of the most serious challenges facing the food industry today is ensuring the food quality. The absence of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms in food is usually ensured by both the addition of various preservatives and the addition of antimicrobial agents. There are many cases in which chemical agents and synthetic additives are used with controversial ingredients to guarantee the safety and quality of food. In this context and under the constant pressure of consumers for more natural products and for more free chemical foods with clean labels, the food industry is constantly looking for alternative forms of food processing that meet the demands of consumers [2]. The abundance of nutrients found in many categories of foods are an excellent substrate for the growth of microorganisms, and their inactivation is a critical parameter for food safety. Although the preservation and processing by thermal methods, such as pasteurization, sterilization, and aseptic packaging, have been efficient for microorganism and spoilage enzymes inactivation, at the same time, they present reduced results related to nutritional characteristics and sensory appearance [3]. Heat-sensitive nutrients are the ones that are usually affected first. Thus, ingredients such as vitamins, color, flavor, and carbohydrates are significantly degraded with the degree of degradation depending on many parameters [4]. In addition to the negative effects that these technologies have on quality characteristics, there are other negative effects that must be seriously considered in choosing the appropriate treatment method. The heat used in these technologies is produced by fuel consumption or by heaters and then transferred to food. The mechanisms of convention or conduction are the main ways of this transfer. Therefore, this option is not an environmentally friendly option, as it imposes energy consumption. In addition, it is well established that thermal processing requires water treatment, which makes it an expensive technology, and it is also technologically unsuitable [5]. On the other hand, several novel non-thermal processing technologies are an alternative to traditional thermal methods, but they do not use temperature to inactivate microorganisms and enzymes [6]. These techniques are constantly gaining popularity in the fields of treatment, preservation, and decontamination [7], as consumers' demand for safe, minimally processed, and high nutritional value foods has become very strong [8]. In the case of plant-based foods, these technologies cause microstructural changes in both plant tissues and plant-based beverages, enhancing the extraction capacity of carotenoids, phenolic compounds, vitamins and minerals extractability, and/or bioaccessibility, which is essential to exert their positive effects on health [9]. High-pressure processing (HPP), ultrasound (US), ultraviolet light (UV), and ozonation are non-thermal processes, which are used at an industrial and commercial scale. Chemical, biological, and physical properties can be modified through these techniques, with positive effects in many quality characteristics. Processing time and intensity, as well as processing conditions, are some of the most important factors associated with the success of these methods, so they should be optimized for each food category before their widespread application [10; 11]. Figure 1 summarizes some aspects of thermal and non-thermal technologies. Furthermore, the development of these new methodology strategies can help the food processing industry in the treatment of raw materials in order to give consumers a high-quality and healthier food, still maintaining cheap prices [12; 13; 14].