Lecture 16 - Non-Thermal Processing of Food

80-90% of foods used in home cooking are at least semi-processed

Why Non-Thermal?

Heat can degrade nutritional, sensory (flavor, color, texture, shape), and in case of seeds, germination properties

HPP

HPP, or High Pressure Processing, subjects liquids or solid foods, with or without packaging, to pressures between 40 and 1000 MPa (1-20 min)

The pressure is equivalent to around 3 African elephants standing on a 18mm diameter disk

Foods and packages that can or cannot be treated with High Pressure

• Can
  • Liquid foods, Soft solids, high moisture foods are better
  • Plastic bottles, pouches, flexible plastic cups, trays, are OK
• Cannot
  • Foods with large air pockets are not suitable, e.g., bread, whole strawberry, whole eggs
  • Rigid containers such as glass jars / bottles, cans are not suitable