Preserving foods has always been one of the main challenges of food processors, but maintaining the freshness, flavor and color of them has been a bigger one. HPP presents itself as a novel preservation technology that maintains the desired organoleptic properties.
High Pressure Processing (HPP) is a novel treatment technology for the processing and preservation of food products by the use of high hydrostatic pressure. High Pressures are considered to be in the range of 100 MPa to 1000 MPa, these high pressures are applied to food products during short periods of time. One of the main factors favoring the use of this novel technology in front of traditional thermal processing is the minimization of the negative effect of thermal treatments in food products such as: reduction of nutritional value, loss of antioxidant capacity, loss of organoleptic properties, among others.
Application of HPP
HPP can be applied to a wide variety of food products ranging from fruit juices to meat products, one of the main conditions for the application of this technology is the appropriate packaging. Food products must be packed in vacuum seal flexible packaging that can withstand the high pressures to be applied.
This technology basically is a cold pasteurization technology that consists in the application of high isostatic pressures ranging from 100 MPa to around 1000 MPa to a vacuum sealed food product, this process occurs in a sealed vessel that is filled with water to produce the required pressure on the food.
Foods can be in solid or liquid stage tightly packed in a sealed package and pressures are usually applied for short periods of time of around 20 to 30 minutes.
Pathogen Inactivation
HPP is typically used as a preservation technique due to its ability to reduce or completely eliminate bacteria and deteriorating enzymes from food products, while maintaining the desired final organoleptic properties; one of the main differences from traditional thermal processing. This technology is used to extend and enhance the shelf life of several food products.
This technology impacts microbial growth directly by decreasing the viability of cells and decreasing growth rate due to the collapse of the cell membrane associated with the high isostatic pressure applied. The pressure causes irreparable damage to the cell membrane, ribosomes and enzymes associated with the replication and transcription of the DNA.
Preservation of Organoleptic Properties
HPP treatment is recognized as a technology that has little to effect on the organoleptic properties of food products. Application of isostatic pressures assure that the food product will not have a shape change due to the fact that pressure is applied equally to all sides. Another important aspect to consider, is the little influence of HPP treatment is the deterioration of phenolic compounds associated with antioxidant activity, these compounds are usually lost in thermal treatments due to their heat sensitivity.
Conclusion
Usage of HPP technology presents itself as novel and promising technology to preserve food products without compromising the desired final organoleptic properties of said food products. Recent advances in HPP technology and cost reductions have increased the potential application of this technology around the food industry.
References
- Abera, G. (2019). Review on high-pressure processing of foods. Cogent Food & Agriculture, 5(1), 1568725.
- High Pressure Processing Technology and Equipment Evolution: A Review
