Application of High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP)
Technology for Processing and Preservation of Foods
High hydrostatic pressure (HHP), also known as high-
pressure processing or ultra high pressure, has been cited as one
of the best breakthroughs in food science in 50 years.
The benefits of HHP for food processing are manifold and
include:
Improvement in the microbiological safety of food.
Control of food spoilage, and extension of product shelf life.
Unlike conventional thermal processing, the sensory and
nutritional attributes of HHP-processed foods are not severely
affected, resulting in products with fresh-like minimally
processed characteristics and of higher quality.
In addition, pressure transmission is uniform and quasi-
instantaneous during HHP regardless of the size and geometry of
food, rendering the technology more effective and energy
efficient.
In light of these reasons, the use of HHP for processing food has
resurged with the industry’s renewed interest in its application.
Within the last decade, a number of companies have introduced
commercial grade high pressure systems thus providing food
processors an opportunity to preserve foods with a “cleaner”
ingredient label, and offering a process of choice for
applications where alternative processing methods would
adversely impact product quality.
In order to satisfy these consumer demands, a lot of research has
gone into identifying novel processing technologies as alternatives
to conventional techniques. Till now, thermal processing for
conversion or preservation of food has dominated the food
industry. However, for certain foods, thermal treatments bring
about undesirable changes in food flavor, color, texture, and
nutritional attributes.
Consumer trends and food markets are also very dynamic and are
constantly undergoing changes. Minimally processed foods with
higher quality and more fresh-like attributes are in increasingly
greater demand and consequently less harsh processing
treatments or fewer additives are desirable.
Non-thermal processing techniques, on the other hand, are
regarded with special interest because they have minimal impact
on the nutritional and sensory characteristics of foods, and
extend food shelf life by inhibiting microorganisms and
deteriorative enzymes.
In addition, non-thermal food preservation processes are
considered to be more energy-efficient and have the ability to
offer value added and novel products, opening new market
opportunities with added safety margins.
Among non-thermal technologies, high hydrostatic pressure
(HHP) processing is one emerging technology that has received a
great deal of attention by virtue of its unique food processing or
preservation potential as well as its ability to modify food to
achieve unique functional properties.
Food deterioration or spoilage are processes that are dependent
on various biological, chemical and physical factors, all of which
need to be controlled or maintained at a desired level.
HHP has the potential to serve as an important preservation
method in:
Directly inactivating spoilage and disease-causing
microorganisms.
Slowing down or delaying the onset of chemical and
enzymatic deteriorative processes.
Retaining the important physical or physicochemical
characteristics of food.
Hence, in the last 30 years or so, the use of HHP has become
actively explored by research institutions and adopted to some
extent by the food industry.
Principles of High Hydrostatic Pressure Technology
The operation of HHP technology is rooted in two fundamental
physical principles:
Le Chatelier's principle: Whenever pressure is applied to a
system in equilibrium, bio-molecules obey the Le-Chatelier
principle.
The system will react so as to counteract the applied pressure,
reactions that result in reduced volume will be promoted under
high pressure, and such reactions may result in inactivation of
microorganisms or enzymes.
Isostatic rule: According to the isostatic principle; when food
products are compressed by uniform pressure from every
direction and then returned to their original stage and the
pressure is released.
Food products are compressed independently of the product size
and geometry, because transmission of pressure to the core is
not mass/time dependant, hence HHP is also called as isostatic
processing technique.
Energy input during the pressure process is very small compared
to thermal processes.
Therefore no chemical reactions involving covalent bonds are
observed. Usually HHP is accompanied by a moderate increase in
temperature, by the adiabatic heating, which depends on the
composition of the food product being processed (Each food
component has specific heat of compression values).
Hydrostatic pressure is generated by increase in the free energy in
the system; this can be achieved by physical compression during
pressure treatment in closed system by mechanical volume reduction.
Components and Working of HHP
The basic key components of a high pressure system are: a pressure
vessel, pressurizing system, and supporting units such as heating or
cooling components etc. as shown in Figure.
In a typical HHP process, the product is packaged in a flexible
container (usually a pouch or plastic bottle) and is then loaded into a
high pressure chamber filled with a pressure-transmitting
(hydraulic) fluid.
Air is removed from the vessel with an automatic deaeration
valve by means of a low-pressure fast fill-and-drain pump.
The hydraulic fluid (normally
water) in the chamber is
pressurized with a pump, and this
pressure is transmitted through the
package into the food itself.
Pressure is applied for a specific
time, usually 3 to 5 minutes.
The processed product is then
removed and stored/distributed in
the conventional manner.
HHP processing is usually carried out in a low-compressibility
liquid such as water. According to the principles as mentioned
above; the phenomenon of phase transition and chemical
changes are accompanied by a decrease in volume; favored by
pressure.
Pressure is instantaneously and uniformly transmitted
independent of the size and geometry of the food. Resultant
pressure regulates most of the biochemical reactions occurring
in the food system.
Consequentially food retains its shape, even at extreme
pressures. And because no heat is needed for processing, hence,
the sensory characteristics of the food are retained without
compromising microbial safety.
In biological systems, the most important changes that are brought
about by HHP are volume decrease reactions, which also include
denaturation of proteins, gelation, hydrophobic reactions, phase- -
changes in lipids, and increases in the ionization of dissociable
molecules due to electrostriction.
This technique improves food safety by destroying the
bacteria that can cause foodborne illness and spoilage and
hence the food remains fresh.
