HPP technology: an important contribution to safety, quality and shelf-life

High pressure technology already finds many applications in the Food & Beverage sector: it is successfully used in the treatment of raw fruit and vegetable extracts, ready meals based on pasta, meat, fish and vegetables, ready-to-eat vegetable preparations such as sauces and creams, gravies, fish both ready and to be cooked, traditional delicatessen products both seasoned and cooked, especially for export.

The HPP method applies to both solid and liquid foods and the process is carried out on already packaged products, therefore not subject to subsequent contamination. Due to its isostatic characteristic, the treatment does not result in the crushing or destruction of the products, unless they have a strong gaseous content.

If we want to generalize, we can say that excellent candidates for High Pressure treatment are products that:
• contain a fair amount of free water;
• have a sufficiently low pH (tendentially acidic);
• do not have a too rigid or spongy structure (little gas inside).