The principles of ultra high pressure technology and its application in food processing/preservation: A review of microbiological and quality aspects

Consumers have a growing preference for convenient, fresh-like, healthy, palatable, additive-free, high-quality and microbiologically safe food products. However, as food deterioration is constant threat along the entire food chain, food preservation remains as necessary today as in the past. The food industry has responded by applying a number of new technologies including high hydrostatic pressure for food processing and preservation. In addition, food scientists have demonstrated the feasibility of industrial-scale high pressure processing. High pressure processing is one of the emerging technologies to be studied as an alternative to classical thermal processing of food. This 'clean' technology offers an effective and safe method of modifying protein structure, enzyme inactivation, and formation of chemical compounds. In addition the study of the effects of high pressure on biological materials has received a great deal of attention in recent years. During the last decade, numerous publications that describe the influence of pressure on various constituents and contaminants of foods such as spoilage microorganisms, food pathogens, enzymes and food proteins have appeared in the literature. This paper reviews the literature on high pressure application in food industry most notably it covers various facets of high pressure technology, which is, history, concepts and principles underlying the application of this technology, physicochemical, chemical, microbiological aspects of high pressure in the viewpoint of food technology.