High-Pressure Thermal Sterilization (HPTS) and Ohmic Heating (OH) Applied to Thermal Food Processing

Abstract

The traditional thermal processing method for food preservation has the main objective of extending the food shelf life and guaranteeing food safety by the reduction of pathogen microorganism and spores. However, the application of heating to cans or bottles can produce a detrimental food quality, especially through the reduction of nutrients, texture, and color, due to the slow heating and cooling rate. For these reason, many researchers are focused on the development of technologies that improve the heating rate and thus reduce dwell times and lower the thermal load on the product. For this purpose, high-pressure thermal sterilization (HPTS) and ohmic heating (OH) are two promising technologies focused on lowering the processing time through a faster increase in the heating rate of the food and thus increase the food quality and nutrient retention.