The main phenomenon on rapid impregnation treatment is the hydrodynamic mechanism, mass transfer mechanism and water diffusion. The control of impregnation solution pressure and its duration is the main methods for target ion and molecular rapid penetrate into agricultural products and food materials. The knowledge of rapid impregnation based on the change of environmental pressures is important in developing of functional foods and pickled foods. Effectiveness of impregnation of food materials is widely affected by several factors such as concentration of the external liquid, operation variables and food microstructure including porosity, pore size, various kinds of shape and gas or liquid occupying the pores. Due to its unique characteristics, Vacuum impregnation was considered a technology with high potential industrial applications. The target of this rapid impregnation method is to increase the mass transfer of solid-liquid operation such as osmotic dehydration, acidification, brining of fish, beef and chicken products. In order to provide references for domestic research in this field, the key technical factors on rapid impregnation(compression ratio, brine concentration, the length of environmental pressure periods, sample microstructure) widely used at present in agro-products and food materials were introduced, and operational characteristics of each factor were also summarized. When external pressure is change, sample deformations coupled with impregnation. Greatly deformed matrices may relax the more mechanical energy stored in their elastic structural elements. The greater the elastic character, the higher the volume recovery and the more impregnation effectiveness. Saturated brines were recommended in impregnation treatments for the acceleration of mass transfer through the sample. Nevertheless, the solution concentration profile at a determined overall solute uptake will be different depending on the brine concentration used. The length of the different pressure period in impregnation process is that necessary to achieve mechanical equilibrium inside the product. Then, the reestablishment of atmospheric pressure will lead to the substitution of the gas-liquid volume lost for the external liquid phase if no pore compression occurs. The length of this period could affect the impregnation level if no mechanical equilibrium is reach when restoring atmospheric pressure. With high sample porosity, solute was conducive to penetrate into the tissue. Therefore, one consequence of the important role of food microstructure in impregnation operations is a greater variability in the final solute content of the product. The research progress of each application in rapid impregnation for agro-products and foods were reviewed including brining, mineral fortified, probiotic enriched, anti-browning, osmotic dehydration, edible film coating. In addition, from an engineering point of view two advantages could be considered: 1. rapid processing; 2. low energy consumption. But problems existing in present research and development trends were also proposed.