High Pressure Processing for

Preservation of Foods

By
R. K. Vishwakarma
 Food Processing

 To inactivate microorganisms
 To enhance shelf life
 Value addition
 To make the food easily digestible
 Handling, distribution etc.
Processing and Preservation Methods

1.Thermal processing

2.Use of chemical preservatives

3.Non-thermal processing methods

 Non-thermal methods
1. High hydrostatic pressure
2. Pulsed electric field
3. Ultrasound
4. Pulsed light
5. Oscillating magnetic field
Why HPP
• Consumer trends
• Less extreme treatments
• Improvement in microbial control
• HACCP, Good Manufacturing Practices
can maintain of hygiene standards in
food service establishments
• Microbial safety
 High Hydrostatic Pressure

High pressure means that the phase transition

occurs under constant pressure that is accompanied
by a decrease in volume, which is based on Le
Chatelier principle.

HPP at refrigeration, ambient or moderate heating

temperature allows inactivation of pathogenic and
spoilage microorganisms in foods with fewer changes
in texture, color and flavor as compared to
conventional technologies.
 The term “high pressure” may be understand
with the fact that at the deepest point in the oceans
the pressure is about 100 MPa and at the centre of
the earth it is 360 GPa.
In commercial applications the highest
pressure used is around 5-6 GPa; which is applied
for artificial diamond grit production.
In the food industry, high hydrostatic pressure
(400-700 MPa) is in use at present.
Application of pressure uniformly throughout
a product.
The process is also known as high pressure
processing (HPP) and ultra high pressure
processing (UHP).
The pressurization is carried out for the
duration of treatment in a closed confined
space (Pressure Vessel) containing a pressure
transmitting fluid (usually water).
Allows solid foods to retain their original
shape.
The pressure is held for the desired time and
then released.
Process is independent of size and geometry
of the product.
 High Hydrostatic Pressure Machine

High-pressure vessel and its closure

Pressure generating pump
Temperature control system
Material handling devices

Once the vessel is loaded with product and

closed, the vessel is filled with a pressure-
transmitting medium. Air is removed from the vessel
by means of low-pressure fast-fill and drain pump.
 Pressure Vessel

Small volume and at low frequency cycles vessels.

The casting limitation of pressure vessel construction
from a single block limits them to 25 litre for operating
pressures in excess of 400 MPa.

Large volumes high-frequency cycles pressure vessels

Pre-stressed wire-wound vessels Same technology is
used for the yoke holding the top and bottom seals. A
replaceable liner of steel is inserted inside the cylinder
so as to cause a leak before failure.
Monoblock casting and wire-winding vessels
Pressure Vessel: Height of 0.25m and a diameter of 0.10m,
a pressure transferring yoke, a hydrostatic pump with a
pump capacity of 0.06 L/min and a control system
(Engineered Pressure Systems Inc., Wilmington, MA). The
temperature of HPP system is controlled by electric heaters
with three 750 W heating band attached to a relay electric
controller. The electric heaters can achieve a maximum
temperature of 90oC in the pressure chamber.

The pressure system is connected to a computer through

which pressure and holding time can be controlled. The
pressure chamber is filled with 5% mobile hydrosol 78
aqueous solutions (Mobile Oil Corp., NY) to transmit the
pressure.
wire-winding technology for vessels and yoke used in larger size
and higher pressure applications
The Vessel Design

Allowable stress
Stress calculations
Design
Quality control
Fabrication and inspection
Material Selection Factors
• Strength
• Corrosion Resistance
• Resistance to Hydrogen Attack
• Fracture Toughness
• Fabricability
• Reaction with food material
Overall strength is determined by:
– Yield Strength
– Ultimate Tensile Strength
– Creep Strength
– Rupture Strength
 Pressure Pump
Direct compression
Generated by pressurizing a medium with the small diameter
end of a piston. The large diameter end of the piston is
operated by a low-pressure pump.
The direct compression method allows very fast generation
of required pressure.
High-pressure dynamic seal between the piston and the
vessel internal surface restricts its use to small diameter
laboratory and pilot plant systems.
Pressurization liquied at 20 MPa is fed on the high pressure
side of the main pump piston having an area ratio of 30:1 with
respect to the high pressure fluid piston displacing into the high
pressure vessel.
High hydrostatic pressure pump
Indirect compression process consists of a high-
pressure intensifier to pump a pressure medium from
a reservoir into the closed pressure vessel till the
desired pressure is achieved. In industrial scale
machine this method is used.

Heating of the pressure medium utilizes expansion

of the pressure medium with increasing temperature
to generate the pressure inside the vessel. Heating of
the pressure medium is therefore used when high
pressure is applied in combination with high
temperature. The process requires accurate
temperature control within the entire internal volume
of the pressure vessel.
Temperature Control
HHP systems that allow for the temperature control
are varied and the simple electric heating to complex
heat-exchanging systems may be used. Operational
temperatures will depend on the particular type of
system but the range may vary from 20°C to 80°C.

Handling
Handling systems consist of baskets that are filled
with the packed products to be processed that are
then loaded into the pressure vessel. The baskets
may be transported by conveying belt (Horizontal
Loading) or by cranes (top loading).
High Pressure Processing Equipment
 Effect of HHP Processing
The water present in food plays important role
during HPP application.
The properties of water can change if the volume
is changed over significant ranges as constant
temperatures.
The application of high pressure to water and ice
results in more compact structures with distorted
hydrogen-bond angles and a close approach
between the non hydrogen bonded neighbors.
Freeze or thaw products that will have a better
quality.
 Effect on biomembranes

Biomembranes are the main site affected by high pressure.

The membrane is composed by a bilayer of phospholipids with

embedded functional proteins.

 The lipid bilayer undergoes phase transitions under pressure

and fluidity of the membrane is decreased.

Results in breakage of the membrane bound- proteins causing a

functional disorder of the proteins.

Membrane permeability is altered in fruit tissues which can

enhance mass transfer during osmotic dehydration, fluidized bed
drying and freezing.
 Effect on microorganisms
Inactivates microorganisms by interrupting cellular functions
responsible for reproduction and survival.

Damages bacterial membranes and thus affects transport

phenomena involved in nutrient uptake and disposal of cell
waste.

HPP treatment can alter cell walls and made cell membranes
permeable .

Morphological changes like reversible changes such as

elongation and cessation of the motion due to structural
changes and irreversible changes such as separation of the
cell wall from the cell membranes as well as decrease in
number of ribosomes.
 The sensitivity of different microorganisms depend on strain and
under the same treatment the response may be greatly different.
Shape, age, medium and growth conditions of the microorganisms
influence the effect of HPP.

S.No Contributing factor Type

1 Pressure applied

2 Type of Pressure Treatment Cyclic, continuous

3 Temperature

4 Time of pressure application

5 Species and strain of Shape, Gram type

microorganisms
6 Growth, stage and age of culture

7 Medium composition and properties Ionic strength type of ions, water

activity, pH
 Effect on Spores
One of the major drawbacks of HHP is the inability to inactivate
spores by pressure alone.

Spores are highly pressure resistant and capable to survive

pressure upto 1200 MPa.
Low pressure treatments (60-100 MPa) can induce spore
germination and with higher temperatures leading to higher
percentage of germinated spores.

The germinated spores can be activated by treatments at higher

pressures.

Time required to achieve spore germination is 30 min.

 Effect on Enzymes

The response of enzymes subjected to HHP treatments is

varied and depends on the origin of the enzyme, substrate
nature, pressure, temperature and processing time.

In some cases pressurization increases enzyme activity, like

polyphenol oxidase in potato, mushroom, apples increased
browning rate after a pressure treatment of 400 MPa, while at
800 MPa, complete inactivation was achieved.

Pressure treatment of purified enzyme did not cause as

enhancement in activity.
Protein gelation
Influence of pressure on gel formation by
proteins was observed early as in 1914.

High pressure can induce gelation at low

temperatures, resulting in gels with properties
different from gels obtained with heat.
 Vitamins and volatile profiles
High pressure treatment does not have a significant
effect on water soluble vitamins and it contributes to
preservation of nutritional quality of foods.

Does not affect the volatile compounds and flavor of the

product remain stable during low temperature storage.

Fresh–like product can be achieved by HHP treatment

while extending their shelf life.
 Experiments
1.Pressure range: 200-700 Mpa
2.Holding time: 1 min- 5 min
3.Temperature range: sub-zero-900C

Bacteriological analysis: after 12 h

 Constraints
 Capital investment

 Capacity

 Inability to destroy spores

 Specialised packaging requirement

 Safety measures

Cost of product