Abstract
Expanding technological capabilities has led to increased plant-based products innovation through a consumer-oriented food product development process aiming at increase convenience, nutritional, functional, and hedonistic features of fruit and vegetables. Special attention is directed to plant-based functional beverages and fresh-cut minimally processed products. Microorganism functionality may be exploited to increase bioactive compounds during fermentation. Innovation also involves the testing of novel formulation with natural ingredients or by-products from food industries as a source of functional ingredients. In this chapter, several strategies for the development of novel fermented fruit and vegetable-based products are discussed.