23 May, 2009

Food Conservation Method: UltraHigh Hydrostatic Pressure (UHP)

Posted by: admin In: Food Safety and Hygiene

Nowadays, the most important factors for consumers are food safety and durability. Another task of manufacturers is producing and developing high nutritional foods.

food_safety-food_conservation_method_ultrahigh_hydrostatic_pressure_uhp

Generally one of the fundamental application to prolong food shelf life is stopping microbial activity. This can be possible by removing microorganisms completely, preventing their growth and killing them. Another application is controlling chemical events (enzymatic reactions, water activity, oxidative events). The most important point for food technology is food safety with the least change in food quality and nutritional value. So many conservation methods have been developed for many years.

One of these methods is Ultra High Hydrostatic Pressure (UHP) which has been searched since last of 20. century. The first food products which were applicated with UHP were launched by Japans. Apart from food industry, Ultra High Hydrostatic Pressure also gets attention of pharmacy and industrial biotechnology.

UHP consists of 100 to 1000 Mpa pressure application to packing or unpacking solid and liquid foods. Process temperature starts with  0°C and may increase to above 100°C.  Pressure vessels are enduring to high pressure and special designed. The pressure application differs between a millisecond to 1200 seconds.

According to reports, the UHP application in room temperature doesn’t change the chemical structure of food. For most efficient result UHP can be applied with the combination of heath treatment.

UHP effects equally to all parts of foods independently of food shape, size and composition, so package size, shape and composition are not the factors of UHP efficiency.

The most UHP resistant microorganism is Clostridium botulinum and its spores. It is resistant to 75°C, 30 minutes,  827 Mpa pressure application. Generally Gram-positive vegetative bacteria are more resistant to UHP than Gram-negative vegetative bacteria. Other resistant bacteria are Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Listeria monocytogenes are sensitive to UHP. Byssochlamys nivea and Eupenicillum ascospores are resistant molds.

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4 Responses to "Food Conservation Method: UltraHigh Hydrostatic Pressure (UHP)"

1 | Martha

May 26th, 2009 at 8:44 am

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Is this methos used in food industry. It seesms it should be used with the combination of other methods.

2 | Michael Hanley

June 8th, 2009 at 12:55 am

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I am intrigued by UHP as an organic preservation or pasteurisation method that is possibly superior to irradiation.
I assumed UHP was simply Ultra High Pressure.
The word Hydrostatic implies water is involved, is it?
Or, is it another gas other than air used within the confined UHP application area?
To be truly effective the package sealing would need to be achieved within the confines of the UHP application area.
The air pushed out from the organic product by UHP would need to be extracted as well, how do you do that?
Quite fascinated as I am at odds to why this is not commonly used as a preservation preparation methodology for organic produce.
Suspect it costs more that a little to set up!
Thanks
Michael

3 | admin

June 28th, 2009 at 6:45 pm

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Dear Michael;
Thanks for yuor comment. Hydrostatic means pressure thet is supplied from water. Extraction doesn’t need many times because air isn’t contact with the product for long time.

Foody Life.

4 | ilker kilinc

September 11th, 2009 at 2:17 pm

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when is this process applied ,before fiiling or after, after seamin… and is there any implementation

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