Background: Steam explosion (SE) with its dual effect of high temperature and high pressure has gradually been applied in food pretreatment. The process of SE treatment involves various mechanisms: acid-based hydrolysis, thermal degradation, mechanical-like disruption, hydrogen bond destruction and structure rearrangement. Phenolic compounds, as natural secondary metabolites, are found in different forms depending on their association with the food matrix, and exert significant antioxidant activity to improve health benefits. Scope and approach...
