Description
High Pressure Processing (HPP) is a technology that applies hydraulic pressures in excess of 6,000 atmospheres to products immersed in a liquid medium. This process inactivates food-borne pathogens while maintaining the integrity and freshness of the food.
Benefits
The benefits of HPP include:
- Increased food safety
- Longer shelf life
- Product innovation
- Preservative free products
Availability
Currently there are two manufacturers of HPP products, NC Hyperbaric and Avure. Depending on the volume these units could cost up to AUD 2 million to purchase. However there are at least two companies in Australia that have installed HPP units and offer HPP as a tolling facility.
MLA held a High Pressure Processing workshop in November 2009 to demonstrate this technology and its potential for the Australian red meat industry. The workshop covered how the technology works, benefits, market potential and a site tour of a HPP factory. A brochure on the workshop outcomes (MLA project A.MPT.0025) is available.
Following the workshop, MLA is seeking interested meat processors and value adding companies to particpate in further research to bring HPP red meat products to the commercial market.
More Information
Food Science Australia is currently conducting research into the benefits and development of HPP. FSA have also published an article in Food and Drink magazine.
Most Australian supermarkets now stock many HPP products, for example, orange juice, spice pastes and guacamole and have done for some time. Despite the plethora of quality products available, many industry experts are unaware of High Pressure Processing. The United States supermarkets have a much more generous offering of HPP products with core products such as rare roast beef and products made from fresh ingredients cooked to an identifiable texture such as stir fry. The HPP system can produce high quality valued added fully cooked meals without the warmed over flavors sous vide style offering that is now common place for fully cooked products.
Products of interest for the Australian market are:
- Aged care roast beef. With recent food related problems and market intelligence suggesting that food safety is of paramount importance to this industry the need for products delivering a higher level of safety is welcomed. HPP processing can not only render meat products softer in texture but can also increase chilled shelf life.
- Pizza toppings. The growth of market toppings away from high salted and in most cases nitrate produced small goods is evident, but with it comes a responsibility to maintain safe food products., so too will the need for HPP to produce better textured fresher tasting natural alternatives to high salt/sugar/and chemically made small goods.
Other potential products are not limited to but include rare roast beef, fresh cooked meals, fresh chilled TV dinners, snack foods, sandwich meat and catering meat.