A process for improving shelf-life of cut vegetables, comprising the steps of: blanching cut vegetables; packaging said cut vegetables in a sealed gas permeable/breathable container; processing said cut vegetables within said sealed gas permeable/breathable container and comprising subjecting said cut vegetables within said sealed gas permeable/breathable container to a supercritical fluids procedure, wherein said supercritical fluids procedure of said processing step comprises subjecting said cut vegetables to a supercritical fluid and a processing aid; wherein said supercritical fluid as a transportation medium solubilizes the processing aid and transports the processing aid to an internal cellular structure of said cut vegetables to deposit the processing aid there, and depressurizing said cut vegetables within said sealed gas permeable/breathable container, wherein said depressurizing step comprises a first depressurizing step and a second depressurizing step, wherein said first depressurizing step is executed at a first depressurization rate that deposits said processing aid within a cellular structure of said cut vegetables while within said sealed gas permeable/breathable container, wherein said first depressurization step is a quick depressurization to change the phase of the fluid from supercritical to gas phase and the second depressurizing step is a slow depressurization, and the first depressurization step allows the state of the fluid to change which results in the separation of the processing aid from the fluid as the processing aid cannot remain solubilized in the gas phase of the fluid; and results in the deposition of the processing aid within the cellular structure of the vegetable product, wherein said second depressurizing step is executed after said first depressurizing step and at a second depressurization rate, and wherein said first depressurization rate is faster than said second depressurization rate. blanching cut vegetables; packaging said cut vegetables in a sealed gas permeable/breathable container; processing said cut vegetables within said sealed gas permeable/breathable container and comprising subjecting said cut vegetables within said sealed gas permeable/breathable container to a supercritical fluids procedure, wherein said supercritical fluids procedure of said processing step comprises subjecting said cut vegetables to a supercritical fluid and a processing aid; wherein said supercritical fluid as a transportation medium solubilizes the processing aid and transports the processing aid to an internal cellular structure of said cut vegetables to deposit the processing aid there, and depressurizing said cut vegetables within said sealed gas permeable/breathable container, wherein said depressurizing step comprises a first depressurizing step and a second depressurizing step, wherein said first depressurizing step is executed at a first depressurization rate that deposits said processing aid within a cellular structure of said cut vegetables while within said sealed gas permeable/breathable container, wherein said first depressurization step is a quick depressurization to change the phase of the fluid from supercritical to gas phase and the second depressurizing step is a slow depressurization, and the first depressurization step allows the state of the fluid to change which results in the separation of the processing aid from the fluid as the processing aid cannot remain solubilized in the gas phase of the fluid; and results in the deposition of the processing aid within the cellular structure of the vegetable product, wherein said second depressurizing step is executed after said first depressurizing step and at a second depressurization rate, and wherein said first depressurization rate is faster than said second depressurization rate. <EOS>