Pretreatment is a methodological approach involving preparatory steps applied to materials, systems, or data before a primary process or analysis. It investigates methods to modify the state, composition, or properties of the input, aiming to optimize the efficiency, yield, effectiveness, or safety of subsequent operations. Key characteristics include targeted physical, chemical, or biological manipulations designed to achieve specific initial conditions necessary for successful execution and desired outcomes of the main process. Its significance lies in enabling challenging transformations, improving process economics, ensuring reliable results, and facilitating the utilization or analysis of complex substrates.