Application of high pressure-based technologies in food industry: Opportunities and future prospects

By Dr. V.M. (Bala) Balasubramaniam

The Ohio State University, United States of America

Wednesday July 24th, 2019 at 10:00 am (Mexico City, MX; UTC -05:00)

High pressure based technologies are of interest, as they enable the food processors to employ pressure treatment to inactivate harmful and spoilage organisms, extend product shelf life, while having minimal impact on nutrients and fresh like quality attributes of foods. However, simultaneous application of pressure-thermal treatment is required for spore inactivation. Like heat, pressure is a thermodynamic variable. Pressure in combination with heat can have synergistic, antagonistic or additive effects on various physical, biochemical and biological reactions in food matrices. It is also important to characterize the engineering properties of foods as influenced by pressure-heat combinations and model the extent of process non-uniformity within processed volume. Pressure treatment also has minimal or reduced impact on health promoting bioactive food compounds and ingredients. During the past two decades, high pressure technology gained commercial acceptance for food pasteurization. Food engineers and technologists also working on various creative application of pressure technologies for food processing (such as extraction, dehydration, infusion, crystallization, and hydrolysis). Integration of scientific advances in process engineering, chemistry, nutrition, and microbiological concepts is critical for sustaining the development of consumer desired products processed by high pressure based technologies.