Chapter Sixteen - High hydrostatic pressure in food industry applications

Abstract

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) process as a nonthermal technology can be used to inactivate microbes while minimizing chemical reactions in food. Food industry applies HHP level of 100MPa (986.9atm/1019.7kgf/cm2) and more to process foods. Thermal processes often damage food components relating to color, flavor, and nutritional value via enhancing undesired chemical reactions, whereas HHP process minimizes the damages and inactivates microbes toward high quality safe foods. The first commercial HHP-processed foods were launched in 1990 for fruit products such as jams, and then some other products have been commercialized in the world to inactivate microbes for shelf life extension and enhance water impregnation: cooked hams and sausages (shelf life extension), soy sauce with minimized salt (short-time fermentation owing to enhanced enzymatic reactions), and beverages (shelf life extension). The characteristics of HHP food processing are reviewed from viewpoints of nonthermal process, history, research and development, physical and biochemical changes, and processing equipment.