Hurdle technology

Dr. Yanal Albawarshi 1

• Hurdle technology
• is a method of ensuring that pathogens in food products can be
eliminated or controlled. This means the food products will be
safe for consumption, and their shelf life will be extended. Hurdle
technology usually works by combining more than one approach.
• Hurdle technology has been defined by Leistner (2000) as an
intelligent combination of hurdles which secures the microbial
safety and stability as well as the organoleptic and nutritional
quality and the economic viability of food products.The
organoleptic quality of the food refers to its sensory properties,
that is its look, taste, smell and texture
Dr. Yanal Albawarshi 2
• HURDLES IN FOOD
• The most important hurdles used in food preservation are Examples
of hurdles in a food system are high temperature during processing,
low temperature during storage, water activity(aW ), acidity (pH),
redox potential (Eh), preservatives (e.g., nitrite, sorbate, sulfite),
and competitive microorganisms (e.g., lactic acid bacteria).
• However, more than 60 potential hurdles for foods, which improve
the stability and/ or quality of the products, have been already
described, and the list of possible hurdles for food preservation is
by no means complete.
• Some hurdles will influence the safety and the quality of foods,
because they have antimicrobial properties and at the same time
improve the flavor of the products.

Dr. Yanal Albawarshi 3

• The same hurdle could have a positive or a negative effect on
foods, depending on its intensity. For instance, chilling to an
unsuitable low temperature is detrimental to some foods of
plant origin (‘chilling injury’), whereas moderate chilling will be
beneficial for their shelf life.
• Another example is the pH of fermented sausage which should
be low enough to inhibit pathogenic bacteria, but not so low as
to impair taste. If the intensity of a particular hurdle in a food is
too small it should be strengthened, if it is detrimental to the
food quality it should be lowered.
• By this adjustment, hurdles in foods can be kept in the optimal
range, considering safety as well as quality, and thus the total
quality of a food.

Dr. Yanal Albawarshi 4

 Commonly used hurdles

•High Temperature
•Low temperature
•Low water activity
•Acidicity
•Low redox potential
•Competative microorganisms
•Preservatives

Dr. Yanal Albawarshi 5

 Physical hurdles Physico chemical hurdle
 High Temperature: Sterilization, •Low water activity (aw)
Pasteurization and Blanching •Low pH & redox potential (Eh)
 Low temperature : Chilling and •Salt
Freezing •Nitrite
 Ultraviolet radiation •Nitrate
•Carbon dioxide
 Ionizing radiation
•Oxygen
 Electromagnetic energy ( Microwave •Ozone
energy, Radio frequency energy, •Organic acids
Oscillating magnetic field pulses and •Lactic acid
High electric field pulses) •Lactate
 Photodynamic inactivation •Acetic acid
•Acetate
 Ultra high pressure
•Ascorbic acid
 Ultrasonication •Sulphate
•Smoking
 Packaging film (Plastic, multi layer,
•Phosphates
active coating and edible coating)
•Glucono lctones
 Modified atmospheric packaging (Gas
•Phenols
packaging, Vacuum packaging,
•Chelators
Moderate vacuum and active
•Surface treatment agents
packaging)
•Ethanol
 Aseptic packaging
•Propyle glycol
 food microstructure •Maillard reaction products
•Spices & Herbs
•Lactoperoxidas & Lysozyme
Dr. Yanal Albawarshi 6
Advantages and disadvantages of Hurdle technology

Hurdle Advantage Disadvantage

Low dose irradiation In active vegetative Microbial spores resistant
microorganisms Consumer resistance
In package treatment Capital costs
Additional shelf life

Modified atmospheric packaging Reduces oxidation and microbial No significant effect on pathogen
spoilage
Freezing Longer shelf life Thawing required
Higher costs
High hydrostatic pressure In- package treatment Spores resistant
Possibility of textural changes

Chemicals (pH, salt, spices) Low cost Impact on sensory quality

Protective cultures Effective against spore formers Cost of handling cultures
Heat sensitivity
Bacteriocins Many are heat stable Inconsistency of inhibitory effect
Effective against spore formers Decompose during storage

Dr. Yanal Albawarshi 7

 EXAMPLES OF HURDLE EFFECT
• Fermented sausages Preservation and safety due to “soft”
preservation processes Factors such as pH, temperature, biological
competition, time, etc. individually are not sufficient to cause
inhibition and death of pathogens
• Factors may work synergistically or antagonistically
• Lactic acid starter culture ferment glucose: lowers pH & creates
competitive environment
• Aging leads to water loss and decrease in water activity
• Aging temperature Time

Dr. Yanal Albawarshi 8

 Hurdle technology
has been used unintentionally
pickles
pH + preservative (acid) + salt
sausage
aw + smoke + salt + spices + preservatives
pastırma
salt + spices + aw

Dr. Yanal Albawarshi 9

 all hurdles
at the same intensity

all hurdles
at different intensity

low initial microbial load

good hygienic practice

high initial microbial load

low initial microbial load

more nutrients

substerilizing treatment
damaged cells Dr. Yanal Albawarshi 10
• Example 1. It represents a food containing six hurdles: (i) high temperature during
processing (F value);(ii) low temperature during storage (t value); (iii) water activity (aw); (iv) acidity
(pH); (v) redox potential (Eh); and (vi) preservatives (pres.). The micro-organisms
present cannot overcome these hurdles, and thus the food is microbiologically stable and safe. However,
example 1 is only a theoretical case, because all of the hurdles are of the same height (intensity), which
rarely occurs.

Example 2: A more likely situation is presented in Example 2

The microbial stability of this product is based on hurdles of different intensity where
the main hurdles are aw and preservatives and other less important hurdles are storage
temperature, pH, and redox potential. These five hurdles are sufficient to inhibit the
usual types and numbers of micro-organisms associated with such a product.

Dr. Yanal Albawarshi 11

• Example 3: If only a few micro-organisms are present at the start, a few or
low number of hurdles will be sufficient for the stability of the product.

Example 4: If due to bad hygienic conditions, too many undesirable micro-organisms

are initially present, even the usual hurdles inherent to a product may be unable to
prevent spoilage or food poisoning.

Example 5
A food rich in nutrients and vitamins, which could foster the growth of micro-organisms
called the booster or trampoline effect, must enhance the hurdles of such a product or
otherwise be overcome.

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• Example 6: It illustrates the behavior of sub-lethally damaged organisms in food. If the
bacterial spores in a food are damaged sub-lethally by heat, the vegetative cells
derived from such spores will lack vitality and therefore, they will be inhibited by fewer
or lower hurdles. In some foods, stability is achieved during processing by a sequence
of hurdles, which are important in different stages of a fermentation leading to a stable
final product.

Example 7: A sequence of hurdles operates in fermented sausages and probably in

ripened cheeses or fermented vegetables.

Example 8: example 8 illustrates the possible synergistic effect of hurdles, which likely
relates to a multitarget disturbance of the homeostasis of micro-organisms in foods

Dr. Yanal Albawarshi 13

• The minimum pH for the growth and toxin production of
microorganisms are compiled by IFT/FDA Report (2003) and
Rahman (2007).
• The literature tabulations include a pH lower than 4.6 to inhibit
the growth of many pathogens and this limit is considered as safe
or low risk.
• It is generally accepted that the limiting pH of 4.6 provides a good
margin of safety against the hazards of botulism in acidified foods,
and such products are given relatively mild heat treatment.
• The critical limit of pH 4.6 is commonly used to categorize the low
risk and high risk foods.
• IFT/FDA : the Institute of Food Technologists for the Food and
Drug Administration.

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• Salt (i.e. Sodium Chloride)
• the 346 g/L (i.e. 34.6 %) was the limit to stop all microbial process, thus only
salt as a hurdle could be impossible to implement due to the negative impact
on health and sensory.
• For this reason, most of the cases salt is used in combination with other
hurdles.
• Most processed meat products contain sodium chloride from 2.8 % in cooked
sausages to 4.5 % in cured meat products.
• Water Activity
• scientist, proposed that the active water could be much more important to
the stability of a food than the total amount of water present.
• there is a critical water activity level below which no microorganisms can
grow. Pathogenic bacteria cannot grow below a water activity of 0.85,
• whereas yeasts and molds are more tolerant to reduced water activity, but
usually no growth occurs below a water activity of about 0.6.
Dr. Yanal Albawarshi 15
• FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practice Regulations governing the
processing requirements and the classification of foods are
shown in Fig. 2.1
• Low acid (i.e. high pH) foods packaged in hermetically sealed
containers must achieve commercial sterility conditions either by
retorting or combined treatment of pasteurization and water
activity or a combined treatment of pasteurization and
acidification. It could be seen that pH 4.6 and aw 0.85 are the
critical limits.
• the IFT panel concluded that a pH of 4.6 is appropriate to control
spore-forming pathogens and a pH of 4.2 is appropriate to
control vegetative pathogens (IFT/FDA Report 2003).
Dr. Yanal Albawarshi 16
Fig. 2.1 FDA Good Manufacturing Practice Regulations
governing processing requirements and classification of
foods (Adapted from Johnston and Lin 1987)

Dr. Yanal Albawarshi 17

• the US Public Health Service in the “Food Service Sanitation
Manual” issued the potentially hazardous food (PHF) as any
perishable food which consists in whole or in part of milk products,
eggs, meat, poultry, fish or other ingredients capable of supporting
the rapid and progressive growth of infectious or toxigenic
microorganisms.
• FDA Food Code in 1999 defined PHF food as it must be kept cold or
hot, because the food (i.e. temperature controlled for safety, TCS)
has the necessary intrinsic factors to support the growth of
pathogens. The TCS foods require time/temperature control to limit
pathogen growth or toxin formation that constitutes a threat to
public health.

Dr. Yanal Albawarshi 18

• A science-based framework was proposed by the IFT/FDA panel (IFT/FDA
Report 2003). The framework contains two steps:
• Step 1: Was the food treated to destroy vegetative cells of potentially
pathogens and packaged to avoid recontamination? If yes, position your
product in Table 2.1 according to its pH and water activity (aw). If not,
position your product in Table 2.2 according to its pH and aw.
• Step 2: If the food is classified as a non-TCS food according to Step 1 above,
it may be stored and held safely without regard to time or temperature. If
the need for time/temperature control is questionable, the food should be
held either hot or cold for safety or subjected to a product assessment as
the next step in determining the appropriate classification.
• The product assessment was performed based on the factors, such as
ingredients, processing, change of acids used to lower pH, preservatives,
and formulation. The final decision on the hurdles could be based on
challenge testing and available predictive models.
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Table 2.1 Control of spores: product treated to control vegetative cells and protected from
recontamination

Dr. Yanal Albawarshi 20