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More Companies Moving to High Pressure Processing
In a 2008 team meeting taking place at Oklahoma State University, Beef Innovations Group had the opportunity to participate in a valuable presentation from Avure Technologies. The topic of the presentation was High-pressure processing, also known as HPP.
High-pressure processing has been named one of the best food processing innovations in 50 years. This process is a method of food pasteurization that uses high pressure, rather than heat, to inactivate vegetative bacteria and harmful pathogens. HPP requires intense pressure, anywhere from 57,000 up to 87,000 pounds per square inch, which equates to over five times the depth of the deepest ocean. HPP allows many foods to be pasteurized without any significant effects on the taste, texture, nutrition and appearance of the product. HPP offers many benefits, as it maintains the freshness and quality of the product as well as increases the shelf life. It also is great alternative for applications that don’t hold up well with heat pasteurization.
To begin the high-pressure process, the product is packaged in a pressure chamber, oftentimes a flexible pouch, which is then loaded into a high-pressure vessel filled with water, or another pressure-transmitting fluid. A pump works to pressurize the water in the chamber, which then works its way through the package and to the food. The process takes around three minutes, and once complete, the processed product is then removed and stored as necessary.
Pressure pasteurization works because it applies pressure in all directions at the same time. This allows the food to keep its shape with intense amounts of pressure. If pressure weren’t applied uniformly, it would be similar to putting a grape between two fingers and squeezing. Alternatively, if you put a grape into a bottle of water and squeeze the bottle as hard as you can, the grape will not be damaged. This is because the water is uniformly pressurizing the grape.
High-pressure processing works well for several product categories, including cooked ready-to-eat whole muscle and sliced meats, seafood, dips, applesauce, smoothies and juices. Due to the many benefits this process offers, an increasing number of companies are moving towards HPP. Hormel uses HPP for its Natural Choice product line of sandwich deli meats. The meats are considered 100 percent natural, with no preservatives, nitrates, nitrites, artificial colors or flavors. Oscar Mayer has also launched a line of natural deli meats. Other companies using HPP include Motivatit (seafood) and Fresherized Foods (guacamole and smoothies).  
HPP is a win-win solution for both consumers and processors. For the consumers, HPP offers a clean label, as the process does not use preservatives and therefore is considered natural. In addition, it offers convenience, with the “ready to cook” and “ready to eat” end products. HPP benefits processors with higher revenue as a result of new product opportunities and longer shelf live.
For more information on high-pressure pasteurization, please contact Steve Wald at swald@beef.org.
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