High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP)

Course No.: FTRI 519

Course Title: Novel Food Processing Technique
 Introduction

• High hydrostatic pressure (HHP), a non-thermal technology

• uses water as a pressure transfer medium

• minimal impact on food characteristics

• Capable of preserving sensory and nutritional qualities

• produce suitable levels of microbiological and enzyme inactivation

 HHP Technology
• main objective is to maximize the freshness and flavor qualities of the
foodstuffs
• microbial and enzyme inactivation is achieved without altering the
product quality
• microbial inactivation is achieved at pressures that vary from 100 to
800 MPa
• The processing conditions depend fundamentally on the food to be
treated and the microorganisms and enzymes to be inactivated.
 Applications of HHP
meat products
ready-to-eat
foods oysters

fruit jams
guacamole
Applications

fruit juices
duck liver

salad dressings
rice cake
fresh calamari
 Packaging

• a great variety of packages with different shapes

• must be packed in a flexible and resistant package

• able to withstand pressure and

• maintain the integrity
• When temperature required, minimize the headspace up to
30% and minimize the time needed for preheating
• an HPP vessel will utilize its 50%–70% volume capacity
 Packaging

Currently used packaging materials are:

• Polyethylene (PE),
• Polyethylene terephthalate (PET),

• Polypropylene (PP),
• Ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH),
• Polyamide (PA) and

• Nylon films
 Microbial Inactivation

• Molds and yeasts are the most sensitive microorganisms;

• Gram-negative bacteria have medium sensitivity,
• Gram-positive bacteria are the most resistant among vegetative
cells and their spores need very high pressures to be inactivated.
 Microbial Inactivation
• 50 MPa can affect or inhibit protein synthesis and produce a
reduction in the number of microbial ribosomes.
• 100 MPa can cause partial denaturalization of cellular proteins
• 200 MPa can produces internal damage in the microbial structure
and external damage in the cellular membrane.
• Pressures equal or similar to 300 MPa produce irreversible
damage to the microorganism
 Microbial Inactivation
• effects on microorganisms depend on physiological state,

• log phase being more sensitive than stationary phase

• HHP of L. monocytogenes at initial temperatures of 45–50°C and 5 min
produced more than 5 log decimal reductions
• 600 MPa for 6 min at 31°C resulted in a reduction close to 3.5 decimal
log for E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, in meat
products
• yeasts and molds can be inactivated at 200–400 MPa
 (HHP) inactivation of molds and yeasts in different
foods.
Food product Microorganism HHP conditions Inactivation results

Pineapple juice Byssochlamys nivea 550–600 MPa for 3–15 600 MPa for 15 min at 80°C, 5.7
min at 20–80°C log reduction

Apple-broccoli S. cerevisiae; 250–400 MPa for 5–20 400 MPa for 10 min at 21°C, 5
juice A. flavus min at 21°C log reduction

Apple juice Talaromyces avellaneus 200–600 MPa for 10–60 600 MPa for 50 min at 60°C, 5
min at 17–60°C log reduction ascospores

Concentrated S. cerevisiae 100–400 MPa for 0–120 400 MPa for 60 min at 20°C, 3
orange juice min at 20°C log reduction
Cheese P. roqueforti 50–800 MPa for 20 min at 400 MPa for 20 min at 20°C, 6
10–30°C log reduction
 Spore Inactivation
 Spores are
 Important spore-producing
o cellular forms
genera are
o developed as a response to adverse
i. Clostridium,
environmental situations
ii. Bacillus and
o to survive.
iii. Alicyclobacillus.
 Characterized by their
high resistance to different
environmental stresses
preservation treatments.
 Table: HHP inactivation of spores in different foods.
Food product Microorganism HHP conditions Inactivation results

Carrot juice B. licheniformis 400–600 MPa; 0–40 min, 241 to 465 MPa (D value
40–60°C range 23.3 to 31°C)
Cooked chicken C. botulinum 600 MPa; 2 min, 20°C 600 MPa for 2 min at 20 °C, 2
log reduction
Orange juice A. acidoterrestris 200–600 MPa; 1–15 min; 45– 600 MPa, D55°C = 7 min; 200
65°C MPa, D65°C = 5.0 min

Tomato sauce B. coagulans; A. 100–800 MPa; 10 min; 25, 40, 700 MPa for 10 min at 60°C, 2
acidoterrestris 60°C log reduction
Tomato pulp B. coagulans 300–600 MPa; 0–39 min; 50– 600 MPa for 15 at 60°C
60°C 5.7 log reduction
Orange Juice A. acidoterrestris 200–600 MPa; 10 min; 20–60°C 600 MPa for 10 min at 50°C, 3
log reduction
Milk B.sporothermodurans 300–500 MPa; 10–30 min; 30– 495 MPa for 30 min at 49°C, 5
50°C log reduction
 Spore Inactivation
 Methods to germinate spores before HHP
• combining extremely high pressure and temperature,
• using low or medium pressure (150–300 MPa), temperature, and
other factors
 Other factors: to germinate the spores and produce bacterial
vegetative cells; e.g.: single amino acids, sugars, asparagine, glucose,
fructose.
 Other germinant agents: lysozyme, salts, and cationic
 Effect of HHP on proteins

• affect non-covalent links (ionic, hydrophobic, and hydrogen links)

• secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structures unfolded and dissociated

• primary structure remains stable.

• pressure of around 150 MPa to observe changes in the quaternary
structure and
• more than 200 MPa to modify the secondary and tertiary structures.
• changes depend on type of protein and HHP treatment.
 Effect of HHP on Enzymes

Two important regions in an enzyme

– for recognizing the substrate and
– for catalyzing the reaction

Two groups according to effect of HHP

• first group - inactivated with pressures of 100–500 MPa, activation that occurs
only in monomeric proteins
• second group - inactivated when exposed to pressures higher than 500 MPa
in combination with relatively high temperatures.
 Effect of HHP on Enzymes
 The enzymes that are most often present in foodstuffs are-
o Peroxidase (POD),
o Pectin methylesterase (PME),
o Lipoxygenase (LOX), and
o Polyphenol oxidase (PPO).

 Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) are inactivated by applying

a pressure equal to or greater than 400 MPa in combination with
temperatures between 20 and 90°C.
 HHP inactivation of enzymes in different foods.
Food product Enzyme HHP conditions Inactivation achieved

Jam PME; POD 550–700 MPa, 2.5–75 min, PME: 27%–40% POD: 51%–
45–75°C 70%

Feijoa puree POD; PPO; PME 600 MPa, 5 min, 25°C POD: 78% PPO: 55.6%
PME: 56%

Camarosa PPO 600 MPa, 15 min, 34–62°C PPO: 82%

strawberry
Fruit smoothies PPO 600 MPa, 10 min, 20°C PPO: 83%

Dry-cured ham Glutathione peroxidase 900 MPa, 5 min, 12°C GSHPx: 44.2% SOD: 17.6%
(GSHPx); Superoxide
dismutase (SOD)
Strawberry β-Glucosidase; PPO; POD 400–600 MPa, 5–25 min, β-Glu: 41.4% PPO: 74.6%
pulps 25°C POD: 74.6%