High pressure processing of foods. An Overview

The application of any new technology presents significant challenges to food technologists and food researchers. High-pressure (HP) processing offers the food industry a technology that can achieve the food safety of heat pasteurization while meeting consumer demand for fresher-tasting minimally-processed foods. In addition, other favorable organoleptic, nutritional, and rheological properties of foods have been demonstrated following HP, in comparison to heat processing. The retention of color, aroma, and the preservation of nutritive components are enormous benefits for both food processing industry and consumers. Also, from a food processing/engineering perspective, key advantages of high-pressure applications of food systems are the independence of size and geometry of the sample during processing, possibilities for low temperature treatment, and the availability of a waste-free, environment-friendly technology. Application of HP can inactivate microorganisms and enzymes and modify structures while having little or no effects on nutritional and sensory quality aspects of foods. HP food processing today is being used on an ever-increasing commercial basis. Opportunities clearly exist for innovative applications and new food product development. HP can affect the functionality of protein and carbohydrate molecules often in unique ways, which may allow optimization of food manufacturing processes and production of novel foods. The range of commercially available HP-processed products is relatively small at present, but there are opportunities for further development and production of a wide range of HP-treated products.