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Aditya Pundhir and Nida Murtaza PDF
Aditya Pundhir and Nida Murtaza PDF
Aditya Pundhir and Nida Murtaza PDF
Review Article
Hurdle Technology-An Approach towards Food Preservation
ABSTRACT
Keywords In recent years, food preservation and food security have become an important
factor of concern. In modern era of food processing, the demand for fresh & good
Hurdles, Hurdle quality food products has led to the emergence of hurdle technology. Hurdle
effect, Hurdle technology is an efficient technique for improving the quality of food and to
technology, enhance its shelf life.The main objective of this technology is food preservation,
microbial safety storage of food products and enhancement of their shelf life thereby giving us good
and stability, quality products.In the present contribution a brief introduction is given about
food hurdle technology, its aspects and widespread applications in different food
preservation products for their efficient preservation.
Introduction
Due to the inadequate technologies for post spoilage and poisoning of food materials by
harvested food preservation more than 50% microorganisms is still a major cause for
of the harvested food is often lost due to food spoilage. The microbial safety &
spoilage in developing countries. It has been stability of most foods are based on an
reported by FAO of United Nations that one application of preservation factors called as
third of the total harvested food of the world hurdles & the technique applying the
is lost before it is consumed. The current different hurdles is known as hurdle
consumer demands natural & fresh food technology.
which urges the food manufacturers to
establish a new preservation technique Hurdle technology is a concept that was
(Leistner and Gorris, 1995). Statistics shows developed to address the consumer demand
that 95% of the investment for agriculture for more natural and fresh foods. (Leistner,
resources has been allocated for production 2000) defined hurdle technology as an
while only 5% for the preservation of food. intelligent combination of hurdles which
In the majority of the cases microorganisms secures the microbial safety and stability as
are responsible for the spoilage or well as retains the organoleptic, nutritional
poisoning. Despite the availability of a range quality and economic viability of food
of preservation techniques like freezing, products.
blanching, pasteurization, canning etc.
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Some of the hurdles such as temperature Homeostasis: It is the process that maintains
(high or low), water activity(aw), the stability of the living cell s internal
preservatives (nitrite, sorbate), competitive environment in response to the changes in
microorganisms (lactic acid bacteria) and external environment. Some of the examples
acidity (pH) have been empirically used for of homeostasis in the body are regulation of
years to stabilize meat, fish, milk and temperature and balance between acidity
vegetables (Leistner, 2000).Various novel and alkalinity (pH). These factors are
hurdles that are being applied in various prerequisite feature of living cells and this
food products includes nano-thermo- applies to higher organisms as well as
sonication, ultrahigh pressure, microorganisms (Leistner, 2000). The
photodynamic inactivation, modified concept behind homeostasis is already
atmosphere packaging of both non-respiring known in higher organisms but this
and respiring products, edible coatings, knowledge should be incorporated in
ethanol, milliard reaction products (Gayán et microorganisms important for the poisoning
al., 2012). The basic concept is to apply and spoilage of foods (Leistner, 2000).
combinations of existing and novel Disturbing the homeostasis of the
preservation techniques ("hurdles") in order microorganisms by various hurdles
to eliminate the growth of micro-organisms. eventually results in the death of the
Therefore, while the aim of effective food spoilage causing microbes thereby
preservation is to control all forms of quality protecting the food product from microbial
deterioration, the overriding priority is spoilage.
always to minimize the potential for the
occurrence and growth of food spoilage and Metabolic exhaustion: This aspect of
food poisoning microorganisms. hurdle technology deals with auto
sterilization of food. This was firstly
Hurdle technology has been developed to observed in the experiment carried out on
reduce the usage of preservatives in foods, liver sausages inoculated with Clostridium
and consists of the combined effect of
hurdles to establish an additional
antimicrobial effect, thus improving the sporogens and stored at 37 C (Leistner et al,
quality of the food (Leistner, 1985).This
modern preservation technology has been
developed for the consumers who demands 1970). Later this behaviour of some
healthy and fresh foods that retains its bacterial spores was regularly observed in
nutritional and organoleptic properties as shelf stable meat products during storage
well. time period (Leistner, 1994b). It has been
observed that the spore counts in hurdle
Aspects of hurdle technology technology treated food products actually
decreases during storage especially at
The hurdle technology affects the ambient temperature. The microbes in the
physiology and growth of microorganisms hurdle treated stable products uses their
in food. There are mainly 4 major energy for homeostasis thereby becoming
mechanisms by which hurdle technology metabolically exhausted. This leads to auto
affects the growth of microorganisms in sterilization of food products. Thus, the
foods: microbiologically stable product becomes
safer for storage at normal room
temperatures.
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preservation of various vegetables and fruits includes UV light, pulsed light (PL),
like carrot, pineapple, coconut & papaya to ultrasound (US), and high hydrostatic
enhance their stability and shelf life. pressure (HHP) (Gomez et al, 2011).
Shelf-stable grated carrot products are (Sankhla et al., 2012) preserved sugarcane
developed using hurdle technology. juice by using several potential hurdles like
(Vibhakara et al., 2006) used several hurdles heat treatment, preservatives, irradiation and
such as antimicrobials, partial dehydration various packaging materials. The
and packaging in polymeric bags to develop applicability of these hurdles shows great
grated carrotsthat can remain fresh and enhancement in the level of product safety
microbiologically safe for more than six and stability and thus it can therefore be
months at ambient temperature. recommended for preservation of all kinds
of food material (Sankhla et al., 2012).
Hurdle technology can also be applied to
develop shelf stable RTE (Ready-To-Eat) Hurdle or combined technology is also
intermediate moisture pineapple with applied in the preservation of high moisture
increased shelf life. Osmotic dehydration, fruit products such as peach, pineapple,
infrared drying and gamma radiation can papaya, mango and banana. The technology
successfully reduce the microbial load in is based on the combination of heat
pineapple slices increasing its shelf life up to treatment, aw and addition of antimicrobials
40 days (Saxena et al., 2009). (Alzamora et al., 1993).
solubility (Malik and Sharma, 2014). Hurdle shelf stable and ready to eat meat products
Technology has made it possible to deliver for space scientists and mountaineers.
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aw, pH vacuum packaging, heat treatment Essential Oils. Food Eng. Rev. 4,
and preservatives. The hurdle treated keema 141 148. Doi: 10.1007/S12393-012-
was shelf stable and accepted up to the fifth 9055-Y
day unlike the conventionally prepared Karthikeyan, J., Kumar, S., Anjaneyulu,
keema that is highly perishable and is A.S.R., Rao, K.H., 2000. Application
accepted only until the first day. of Hurdle Technology for the
Development of Caprine Keema and
Several hurdles such as marination, cooking Its Stability at Ambient Temperature.
and glycerol have been applied in the Meat Sci. 54, 9 15. Doi:
production of shelf stable chicken lollipop 10.1016/S0309-1740(99)00053-4
(Singh et al., 2014). Leistner, L., 1978. Hurdle effect and energy
saving. In: Downey, W.K. (Ed.),
With the growing economy there is an Food Quality and Nutrition, Applied
increased demand for fresh and minimally Science Publishers, London, UK, pp.
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preservation methods are based on single Leistner, L., 1985. Hurdle technology
preservation parameter that makes changes applied to meat products of the shelf
in the sensory and nutritional quality of the stable product and intermediate
fruit. The hurdle technology makes minimal moisture food types. In: Simatos, D.,
sensory and nutritional changes in the Multon, J.L. (Eds.), Properties of
product which makes the product more Water inFoods in Relation to Quality
valuable and acceptable than obtained by and Stability, MartinusNijhoff,
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