High hydrostatic pressure applications on liquid whole egg

Abstract

SUMMARY High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment at the pressure and temperature range of 300–450 MPa and 0–50°C for up to 30 min can be used successfully to inactivate several bacteria in liquid whole egg (LWE). On the other hand, to avoid egg protein coagulation, pressure levels ≤ 300 MPa and temperature levels ≤ 20°C should be selected and holding times ≤ 5 min are desirable for commercial HHP application. However, these conditions are not suitable for pasteurising LWE. Therefore, antimicrobial agents such as nisin, in combination with HHP or successive use of HHP with heat or other non-thermal methods such as pulsed electric field or ultrasound have been tried for maximum microbial inactivation with minimum changes in physical, chemical and functional properties of LWE. This review compiles the studies on HHP and LWE. While microbial inactivation by HHP and inactivation kinetics is the main focus, the impact of HHP on functional properties of LWE is also discussed.