High Pressure Processing

High Pressure Processing (HPP) is a pasteurization method that uses pressure rather than the traditional
method of heat to kill microorganisms in foods. Broadly speaking, HPP applied at ambient
temperatures destroys vegetative cells and inactivates certain enzymes, with a minimal change in
organoleptic properties”.

This process, like thermal processing, helps to both extend the shelf life of foods by killing spoilage
organisms, including yeasts and lactic acid bacteria, and improve the safety of foods by killing
vegetative pathogenic microorganisms like Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, Listeria
monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus.

Unlike thermal processing, HPP is less destructive to key food quality components such as vitamins,
flavor compounds, and pigments,

HPP not only improves the safety of foods, but also extends the shelf life of foods while maintaining
food attributes normally associated with “minimally processed” foods.

As consumer demand for minimally processed fresh foods which also meet the ever increasing food
safety standards enacted by the FDA and USDA grows, food manufacturers are under increasing
pressure to find alternate processes which provide a safe product, but utilize less destructive methods
to achieve this goal. HPP provides an interesting alternative processing method to meet these
requirements.

The Process and Equipment

HPP of foods involves a standard processing profile. Pressure is increased at a certain rate until the
target pressure is reached, the target pressure is held for a specific amount of time, and then pressure is
released at a specific rate. Typical pressures applied to foods range from 300 – 800 MPa (43,500 –
116,000 psi). Heat may also be applied, however, the majority of high pressure processes are conducted
at refrigerated temperatures, relying mainly on pressure to process the food. Some temperature increase
does occur naturally during a typical HPP treatment due to adiabatic heating, which is dependent on
the target pressure and food composition. The temperature increase of water is approximately 3°C per
100 MPa, this can be significantly higher for more compressible food ingredients like fats, resulting in
a greater temperature increase during pressurization for foods with higher fat content.
Commercial exposure times can be vary from a millisecond pulse to over 20 minutes. Foods subject to
HPP treatment at or near room temperature will not undergo significant chemical transformations due
to the pressure treatment itself.

Figure 1: Pressure and Temperature profile during a typical HPP treatment applied to food

Although both batch process and semi-continuous HPP systems are available on the market, the
majority of food products are processed using batch process systems.

A typical HPP batch system (Figure 2) consists of four key components –

i. The pressure vessel,

ii. Pressurization fluid,
iii. Intensifier and
iv. Pump.

Alternatively, the pressure vessel can additionally be designed as a pressure intensifier. The pressure
vessel is built to withstand a certain amount of pressure and temperature, and contains the packaged
food product and pressurization fluid. Pressure vessel sizes are defined by the volume of fluid that the
vessel can hold. The pressurization fluid is typically water, and is added to the pressure vessel to
eliminate air pockets between the packages of food. Once the pressurization fluid is added, the
hydraulic pressure intensifier and pump are used to increase the pressure inside the cell and the pressure
is transmitted through the pressurization fluid through the packaging material to the food itself. As the
pressure is applied uniformly over the whole surface of the food product, the shape of the food is
maintained.

Figure: Schematic of a batch HPP system

The Package of HPP

The type of food packaging used also plays an important role in HPP. To achieve the best pressure
transmission within the food product, the ideal food for HPP processing has no gas inclusions, no head
space in the package, and high moisture content. Additionally, the type of material used to package the
food product also has to be suitable. The packages must have the ability to prevent any deterioration in
the product quality during HPP and excellent logistics should be applied to distribute the pressure-
treated products. The packaging material has to be flexible enough to transmit the pressure without
structural damage. Due to pressurization, the food is compressed and the package has to allow this
reversible deformation. Rigid materials like metal and glass are not recommended, as they will not be
able to withstand the HPP treatment. Vacuum packed products in flexible packages appear ideal for
HPP, particularly if the package can be compressed by about 15 percent without suffering structural
damage and it is able to return to its original shape upon pressure release. Currently, several different
types of packaging are in use for HPP, like plastic stomacher bags, sterile tubes, polyester tubes,
polyethylene pouches, nylon cast polypropylene pouches and various other flexible pouch systems, the
physical and mechanical properties of the material greatly influences the effectiveness of HPP on the
food material. Film barrier properties and structural characteristics of polymer based packaged material
were affected when treated at 400 MPa for 30 min at 25C temperature was reported.

Effects of HPP on Food Compounds:

The effect of HPP on molecules with a low molecular weight is minimal. Therefore, vitamins, flavor
compounds, and pigments survive HPP processing relatively unharmed compared to thermal
processing, thus preserving the nutritional value and quality of the food.
On the other hand, other compounds are irreversibly changed with HPP. Gelatinization of
carbohydrates can be achieved through pressure increase rather than through temperature increase, and
proteins can be denatured at elevated pressures without increasing the temperature. Figure-3 illustrates
this pressure-temperature relationship.

Figure: Schematic representation of the elliptic phase diagram of proteins illustrating pressure, heat
and cold denaturation
Although the egg depicted in Figure 3 has visual similarities to a thermally-processed hardboiled egg,
the taste of the pressure-treated egg is actually closer to that of a raw egg, as temperature-induced flavor
changes (chemical reactions) did not occur during HPP. This presents interesting possibilities from a
product development standpoint.

Effects of HPP on Microorganisms:

High pressure impacts microorganisms in a similar manner to that described for the different food
chemistry components. Denaturation of proteins, which are essential to many of the functions of the
bacterial cell, has a major impact on the survival of microorganisms, and can eventually result in cell
death if a sufficient amount of pressure is applied which makes repair/recovery impossible for the
bacterial cell. For vegetative organisms including yeasts and lactic acid bacteria (spoilage organisms),
as well as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes (pathogenic organisms),
this is especially true. Gram positive bacteria are generally more resistant than gram negative bacteria.
Bacteria are more sensitive during logarithmic growth compared to the stationary phase. In general the
presence of proteins that protect against adverse conditions increase resistance to HPP. Major benefits
from the application of HPP to the different food products from a microbial perspective include
extended product shelf life and improved food safety.
Higher rates of inactivation by HPP are usually reported in more complex organisms. Organisms with
simpler structures, such as bacteria, are usually more resistant to HPP inactivation. HPP is effective in
eliminating foodborne parasites, such as Toxoplasma gondii, Cryptosporidium parvum, Anisakis
simplex, Trichinella spiralis and Ascaris, in low pressure ranges.
Molds and yeast have intermediate resistance with mound mycelia being particularly susceptible but
mound spores that are quite resistant to HPP have been reported.
Foodborne vegetative pathogens show large variations in sensitivity when low pressures (300 MPa)
are combined with intermediate temperatures.
Viruses vary in pressure resistance depending on their structural complexity. Enveloped viruses are
usually more sensitive than naked viruses.
HPP is not effective as a kill step against all microbial forms. Spore-forming organisms are highly
resistant to HPP when they are in their spore form, and a combination of pressure and heat, or some
other antibacterial intervention, is required to achieve any reduction of bacterial spores in foods. Spores
of the organism Clostridium botulinum, which can germinate, grow, and produce a highly potent
paralytic neurological toxin in low acid foods. The production of shelf stable, low acid foods requires
inactivation of spores by combining HPP with other processes, usually elevated temperature.
Viruses vary in pressure resistance depending on their structural complexity. Enveloped viruses are
usually more sensitive than naked viruses.
It is important to note that the composition of the food product plays an important role in the
effectiveness of the HPP treatment against microorganisms, as well as the type of organisms which
may be able to grow or survive in the product, and should be carefully considered when evaluating the
use of HPP as a kill step for a specific food product. The physiochemical environment can adversely
change the resistance of a bacterial species to pressure. Factors such as the water activity and pH also
influence the extent to which foods need to be treated to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms.
Table 1 provides guidance on food safety risks that might be considered for products produced using
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). The manufacturer should still complete an assessment of risk
for their product.
Table 1: Food safety risks associated with food types
Product Shelf life Risks Equivalence target
Chilled acid food with Long Survival of vegetative Pasteurization
pH below 4.2 cells of pathogenic
bacteria
Chilled acid food with Long Above risk plus Pasteurization
pH from 4.2 to <4.6 potential growth of
vegetative cells of
some pathogenic
bacteria
Low acid chilled foods 0 to 5 days Above risks Cook time as
recommended for the
type of food.
Low acid chilled foods 5 to 10 days Above risks plus Recommended
Listeria Listeria-safe cooking
monocytogenes process
Low acid chilled food 10+ days Above risks plus cold Recommended
tolerant Clostridium psychotropic
botulinum Clostridium botulinum
cooking process
Low acid shelf stable Long Above risks plus Suitable retorting
foods conventional process
Clostridium botulinum
Regulatory Requirements:

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) each have a number of regulatory requirements which are specifically tailored to address food
safety issues associated with foods. These regulations target specific categories of food based upon
both the composition of the food and the storage conditions for the food. Some of these regulations
include the following:
 Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Systems
 Thermally Processed Low Acid Foods Packaged in Hermetically Sealed Containers Acidified
Foods
 Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Post-Lethality Exposed Ready-To-Eat Products

Processing parameters
In the case of HPP, a specific pressure and hold time can be tied to a specific level of reduction of
vegetative cells of pathogenic organisms. Specified “critical processing parameters” for HPP treatment
of foods by the regulatory agencies include the following:
 Target pressure
 Time at target pressure
  Time to achieve target pressure
 Decompression time
 Initial temperature of the product
 Initial temperature of the pressurization fluid
 Product pH
 Product water activity
Product / Food characteristics affect HPP
i. pH
As pH is lowered most microbes become susceptible to HPP inactivation and sub lethally injured
cells fail to repair. Acid foods suggests that shelf-stable (commercially sterile) products, having a
water activity close to one, and pH values less than 4.0, can be preserved using a pressure of 580
MPa and a process hold time of 3 min. This treatment has been shown to inactivate 106 cfu/g of E.
coli, Listeria spp., Salmonella spp., or Staphylococcus spp. in salsa and apple juice. Acid foods
between the pH values of 4.0 and 4.5 can be made commercially sterile using a pressure of 580
MPa and a hold time of 15 min. Products would have an initial temperature in the range of 22 °C.
A HACCP plan is essential to ensure that ingredients entering the process have low counts of
pathogens and spoilage microbes.
ii.Water activity (aw)
Reducing water activity appears to protect microbes against inactivation by HPP; however, it is
expected that microbes may be sub lethally injured by pressure and recovery of sub lethally injured
cells can be inhibited by low water activity. HPP inactivation of microorganisms at low or variable
aw is reduced but the impact appears in part to be related to aw and in part to the impact of the solute
iii.Temperature
An increase in food temperature above room temperature and to a lesser extent a decrease below
room temperature increases the inactivation rate of microorganisms during HPP treatment.
Temperatures in the range of 45 to 50 °C appear to increase the rate of inactivation of food
pathogens and spoilage microbes. Process temperatures in the range of 90-110 °C in conjunction
with pressures of 500-700 MPa have been used to inactivate spore forming bacteria such as
Clostridium botulinum. The use of elevated temperatures as part of a specified HPP process will
require monitoring the food temperature during the process to ensure every element of the food is
at or above the specified value.
 iv. Fat or oil content of the food
During pressure treatment, the temperature of different food materials increases quickly due to
physical compression and returns back to its initial value upon decompression. The heat of
compression of most of the high-moisture food materials is very similar to that of water, 3°C per
100 MPa at 25°C. However, fatty foods have higher compression heating due to their higher
compressibility with long-chain unsaturated fatty acids and lower specific heat. Although the heat
of compression of water and high moisture–content foods generally increases with increasing initial
product temperature, the heat of compression value of fatty materials does not vary as a function of
initial temperature.
v. Composition of food
The microbial susceptibility to HHP inactivation is clearly influenced by the conditions of the
environment where microorganisms are present. The chemical composition of the food is important,
since the presence of fats, proteins, minerals and sugars serves as a protector and increases microbial
resistance to pressure. Nutrient-rich foods, such as milk or poultry meat, can protect
microorganisms
Application of HPP on Food Preservation
HPP finds application in food preservation in many ways. Some example of areas where HPP has more
potential is discussed under the following headings.
Fruits and vegetables
HPP does not depreciate the nutritional and sensory characteristics of food, and yet it maintains the shelf
life. As compared the effect of HPP with water blanching on the microbial safety, quality (softness), and
functionality (poly phenol oxidase (PPO) activity, leaching of potassium, and loss of ascorbic acid) of
potato cubs. Total inactivation of microbes and PPO activity occurred at 20C (using dilute citric acid
solution at 0.5 at 1.0 % as immersion medium). Water-balanced and high pressure-treated potato cubes had
similar softness but potassium leaching was reduced by 20 % in addition, ascorbic acid was better retained
(90% at 5C to 35% at 50C) in high pressure treated vacuum packaged samples.
Meat and fish industry
Researchers have studied the application of HPP in the meat industry using several combinations of
pressure, time and temperature. The high pressure inactivates Citrobacter freudii, Pseudomonas
fluoresecens, and Listeria innocua were completely inactivated at pressures more than 280, 200 and 400
MPa, respectively at 20C. They also noticed a paler color in samples of minced beef treated at pressures
more than 150 MPa, and grayish color in samples at pressures more than 350 MPa. Total inhibition of
microorganisms occurred at 400-500 MPa. However, pseudomonas spp. was detected after 3-9 days at 3C,
which means that they were not fully inactivated but stressed during HPP. Therefore, HPP should be
coupled with some other treatment (e.g., moderate temperature of 50C) to eliminate viable pseudomonas
spp.
The effects of HPP on color and myoglobin content of minced beef samples packaged under vacuum, air
or oxygen. They noticed a pink color of meat treated at 200-350 MPa (increase in lightness, color values)
which turned Grey brown at 400-500 MPa (a decrease in L values). They suggested that meat discoloration
during HPP is due to whitening effect of 200-300 MPa, caused by globin denaturation, heam displacement
or release or oxidation of ferrous myoglobin to ferric myoglobin at 400 MPa.
Dairy and egg industry
High pressure technology may also have application in the dairy and egg industries due to changes induced
the functional properties of whey protein as well as in other milk components and native constituents. The
pressure was applied to the protein before homogenization or to the emulsion prepared with native WPC
(whey protein concentrate). Functional properties of WPC were examined along with the relationship
between stability of WPC emulsions and degree of adsorption of the protein emulsifier.
They found that oil-in water emulsions (0.4 wt % protein, 20 vol % n-Tetradecane, pH 7) prepared with
pressure treated WPC solutions gave a broader droplet size distribution than emulsions made with native
untreated protein. An inverse relationship was obtained between emulsifying efficiency and applied
pressure plus treatment time. Also, HPP had little effect on the stability of WPC emulsions made with
native protein.
The high pressure slightly improved the microbiological quality of milk without modifying lacto peroxidase
activity (a native milk enzyme). $-lactalbumin and bovine serum albumin were pressure resistant (400 MPa
for 60 min.). The increase in cheese yield was found (at 300 and 400 MPa) in conjunction with additional
$-lactoglobulin and moisture retention. They concluded that HPP can improve the coagulation properties
of milk and can increase moisture retention of fresh cheese.
Commercial high pressure food processing
The potential for high pressure processing of food has been known since 1899. The application of high
pressure to food products was not possible until the early when suitable equipment become available. In
the United States, guacamole was first commercially available processed product. Research and
development of other products including meals is continuing in Europe, fruit juice are available in France
and a delicate style ham is available in Spain. The technique is not yet being used commercially in UK but
trails and tasting are being carried out.
Currently, commercially available HPP products for which HPP has been successfully validated as a
kill step include the following:
 Vegetable & Fruits – Juices, salsa, dressing, guacamole
  Meat – Ready to eat meats and poultry
 Seafood – Shellfish and fish products
Advantages of High Pressure Processing (HPP)
o HPP is suitable for products with high water content and can be modified for both batch
processing and semi-continuous processing.
o HPP especially useful because it can be used to process raw product without significantly
altering their flavor, texture or appearance.
o HPP develops product packaging to withstand a changed in volume up to 15 % followed by a
return to its original shape without losing seal integrity or barrier properties.
o HPP has been used with hundreds of products to activated food Bourn packages, inactivates
spoilage causing organisms, inactivated enzymes, germinate or inactivate some bacterial spores,
extend shelf life, reduce the potential for food borne illness, promote ripening of cheese and
minimize oxidative browning.
o HPP does not destroy the food because it is applied evenly from all side.
o HPP is equally effective on molds, bacteria, virus, and
o HPP reduce the processing time, physical and chemical change, retention of freshness, flavor,
texture, appearance and color elimination of vitamin C loss, reduces ice crystal damage and
reduces functionally alteration comparative traditional thermal processing.
o HPP curtails many of the diseases with compassion of raw products shown that many micro-
organisms are destroyed by customary HPP operating pressure.
Limitation of High Pressure Processing
o HPP is not practiced because the capital cost for a commercial scale.
o HPP shown substantial economic losses because there is implementation of comprehensive
quality assurance programmed to eliminate or reduce micro-organism in processing.
o HPP system consist of high pressure vessel, a means to close the vessel off, a system for
temperature and pressure control and a material handling system so, machinery required is
complex and requires extremely high precision in its construction, use and maintenance.
o HPP unit immediately becomes rate limiting steps in most processing operation.