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

High pressure technology already finds many applications today in the Food & Beverage sector: it is successfully used in the treatment of raw fruit and vegetable extracts, ready-made dishes 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 susceptible to subsequent contamination. Due to its isostatic characteristic, the treatment does not cause the crushing or destruction of the products, unless they have a strong gaseous content.

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