This study was performed to investigate the enrichment of pterostilbene content and improvement of biological activity in harvested blueberries through the modulation of metabolism with high pressure treatment at hormetic doses. After harvested blueberries were pressurized under 2, 10, and 20 MPa for 5 min at 25oC along with a set of control, pterostilbene content and induction of quinone reductase activity were observed. As a result, the content of pterostilbene in high pressure treated blueberries was enriched up to 1.33 times while quinone reductase activity was improved compared to the untreated sample. These results suggest that a mild high pressure treatment can enrich pterostilbene content and improve biological activity in harvested blueberries according to hormetic response.

The term hormesis is defined as stimulation by low doses of any potentially harmful agent. In the food industry,many attempts were made to apply hormeric phenomena to the process of improving food storage or increasingfunctional molecules in food. In this study, we reviewed the results of hormetic treatment including pressure, ion-izing radiation, ultraviolet, heat and atmosphere modification from a variety of fruits and vegetables. The hormeticeffects were quite diverse depending on the kind of food, cultivar and experimental environment. It was thereforedifficult to derive the exact and consistent hormetic influences. Nonetheless, it is significant that this study is thefirst attempt to document the impact of various hormetic treatments on food.