Putting the squeeze on microbes
The quality and safety of food products are among the most important factors influencing consumer choices in modern times, as well as being important considerations of food manufacturers and distributors. It is therefore of importance for the food industry to continue to seek out more effective methods to reduce undesirable changes in foods associated with food processing, such as loss of colour, flavour, texture, smell and, most importantly, nutritional value. High-pressure processing (HPP), is a relatively new, nonthermal food processing method that subjects foods (liquid or solid) to pressures between 50 and 1000 MPa. HPP treatment of food dates back over a century. Over the last 20 years, significant advances in HPP technology have been made, in the form of semi-continuous systems to the scaling up of pilot units to successful commercially viable processes.
HPP is a nonthermal process capable of inactivating and eliminating pathogenic and food spoilage microorganisms. This novel technology has enormous potential in the food industry, controlling food spoilage, improving food safety and extending product shelf life while retaining the characteristics of fresh, preservative-free, minimally processed foods. As with other food processing methods, such as thermal processing, HPP has somewhat limited applications as it cannot be universally applied to all food types, such as some dairy and animal products and shelf-stable low-acid foods. This article discusses the effects of high-pressure processing on microbial food safety and, to a lesser degree, food quality.
Tags: Bacteria, Biology, Biotechnology, Food, Fungi, Microbiology, Science
