Opportunities and Challenges in High Pressure Processing of Foods

Model for Listeria monocytogenes inactivation on dry-cured ham by high hydrostatic pressure processing

The aim of the work was to develop and validate a model of the inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes on dry-cured ham by high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) processing, as a function of the technological parameters: intensity, length and fluid temperature. Dry-cured ham inoculated with L. monocytogenes was treated at different HHP conditions (at 347-852 MPa; for 2.3 to 15.75 min; at 7.6 to 24.4 °C) following a central composite design. Bacterial inactivation was assessed in terms of logarithmic reductions of L. monocytogenes counts on selective media. According to the best fitting and most significant polynomial equation, pressure and time were the most important factors determining the inactivation extent. The significance of the quadratic term of pressure and time indicated that little effect was observed below 450 MPa, whereas holding time longer than 10 min did not result in a meaningful reduction of L. monocytogenes counts. Temperature did not show significant influence at the range assayed. The model was validated with results obtained from further experiments and bibliographical data within the range of the experimental domain. The accuracy factor and bias factor were within the proposed acceptable values indicating the suitability of the model for predictive purposes, such as prediction of the process criteria to meet the Food Safety Objectives. The results of this work may help food processors to select optimum processing conditions of HHP.

Development of high hydrostatic pressure in biosciences: pressure effect on biological structures and potential applications in biotechnologies

Compared to temperature, the development of pressure as a tool in the research field has emerged only recently (at the end of the XIXth century). Following several developments in Physics and Chemistry during the first half of the XXth century (in particular the synthesis of diamond in 1953-1954), high pressures were applied in Food Science, especially in Japan. The main objective was then to achieve the decontamination of foods while preserving their organoleptic properties. Now, a new step is engaged: the biological applications of high pressures, from food to pharmaceuticals and biomedical applications. This paper will focus on three main points: (i) a brief presentation of the pressure parameter and its characteristics, (ii) a description of the pressure effects on biological constituents from simple to more complex structures and (iii) a review of the different domains for which the application of high pressures is able to initiate potential developments in Biotechnologies.

Introduction to high-pressure bioscience and biotechnology

The manipulation of biological materials using elevated pressure is providing an ever-growing number of opportunities in both the applied and basic sciences. Manipulation of pressure is a useful parameter for enhancing food quality and shelf life; inactivating microbes, viruses, prions, and deleterious enzymes; affecting recombinant protein production; controlling DNA hybridization; and improving vaccine preparation. In biophysics and biochemistry, pressure is used as a tool to study intermediates in protein folding, enzyme kinetics, macromolecular interactions, amyloid fibrous protein aggregation, lipid structural changes, and to discern the role of solvation and void volumes in these processes. Biologists, including many microbiologists, examine the utility and basis of pressure inactivation of cells and cellular processes, and conversely seek to discover how deep-sea life has evolved a preference for high-pressure environments. This introduction and the papers that follow provide information on the nature and promise of the highly interdisciplinary field of high-pressure bioscience and biotechnology (HPBB).

Characterization of acetylated corn starch prepared under ultrahigh pressure (UHP)

To investigate the impact of ultrahigh pressure (UHP) on the physicochemical properties of the UHP-assisted starch acetate, common corn starch was subjected to either conventional (0.1 MPa, 30 degrees C, 60 min) or UHP-assisted (400 MPa, 25 degrees C, 15 min) acetylation reactions at three levels (4, 8, or 12%) of acetic anhydride. Without significant changes in starch granule crystal structure, UHP-assisted reaction exhibited lower degree of substitution values than conventional reaction across reagent addition levels. An increase in reagent addition levels exhibited common trends in starch solubility/swelling power, gelatinization, and pasting properties for the conventional and UHP-assisted starch acetates relative to native starch. Within an equivalent derivatization level, however, the UHP-assisted (relative to conventional) starch acetates revealed restricted starch solubility/swelling power, reduced gelatinization temperatures, and lower pasting viscosities. Overall, this result suggested that UHP treatment in acetylation reaction might influence the physicochemical properties of starch acetate by facilitating the formation of lipid-complexed amylose or altering granular reaction patterns to acetic anhydride.

Enriching M. sternomandibularis with alpha-tocopherol by dietary means does not protect against the lipid oxidation caused by high-pressure processing

We hypothesized that elevating the concentration of alpha-tocopherol in beef muscle tissue by dietary means would increase lipid stability following high-pressure processing. Beef M. sternomandibularis was obtained from cattle that had medium (4.92 microg/g) and high (7.30 microg/g) concentrations of alpha-tocopherol. Post-rigor, paired muscles samples were subjected to pressures of 0.1 (atmospheric), 200 or 800 MPa for 20 min at approximately 60 degrees C. Following high-pressure processing, measurements were made immediately (d 0) or on samples stored in the dark for 6 d at 4 degrees C (d 6). Intramuscular lipid was similar for each group (4.02% vs. 4.26%, respectively; P=0.78), but lipid from the medium alpha-tocopherol muscle was more saturated and less monounsaturated than muscle from the high alpha-tocopherol group. High-pressure processing at 800 MPa and 60 degrees C did not reduce the amount of alpha-tocopherol but significantly reduced the concentration of linoleic acid (18:2n-6) in muscle from both production groups of cattle. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances increased linearly with treatment pressure only in d 6 samples (day x pressure interaction P=0.0001) and were higher overall (P=0.02) in the high alpha-tocopherol muscle than in the medium alpha-tocopherol muscle. At d 6, lipid peroxides were decreased (P=0.007) by high-pressure treatment and were higher (P<0.0001) in the high alpha-tocopherol group than in the medium alpha-tocopherol group. Therefore, muscle from the high alpha-tocopherol cattle in this study had a greater accumulation of lipid peroxides by d 6, making the muscle from those cattle more susceptible to oxidation.

Application of high pressure processing to kill Escherichia coli O157 in ready-to-eat meats

Uncooked ready-to-eat (RTE) meats have previously been identified as vehicles for the transmission of the foodborne pathogen Escherichia coli O157. In this study, the potential for high pressure processing (HPP) to kill E. coli O157 in two RTE meats (Hungarian salami and All Beef salami) was investigated. The RTE meats were inoculated with a five-strain cocktail of E. coli O157, vacuum packed, and then pressure treated at 600 MPa with a hold time of 3 min. Samples were stored at 15 degrees C for 28 days. HPP initially reduced E. coli numbers on both RTE meats by greater than 4 log CFU/g. However, with enrichment and immunomagnetic separation we were able to recover E. coli O157 from the samples. During storage, the numbers of E. coli O157 increased on the All Beef samples but remained static on the Hungarian salami, which had a restrictive pH and water activity. Increasing the hold time to 6 or 9 min did not result in additional reduction of E. coli O157. The sensory appeal of the two products was not significantly changed by HPP as determined by a sensory panel (n = 50). Analysis of the reflected light parameters of luminance, green-red, and blue-yellow revealed no significant changes. The results of these experiments indicate that HPP has potential as a lethal treatment for E. coli O157 on RTE meats with minimal changes in consumer appeal.

High-pressure Food Processing

High pressure processing (HPP) of foods offers a commercially viable and practical alternative to heat processing by allowing food processors to pasteurize foods at or near room temperature. Pressure in combination with moderate temperature also seems to be a promising approach for producing shelf-stable foods. This paper outlines research needs for further advancement of high pressure processing technology. Kinetic models are needed for describing bacterial inactivation under combined pressure-thermal conditions and for microbial process evaluation. Further, identification of suitable surrogate organisms are needed for use as indicator organisms and for process validation studies. More research is needed to evaluate process uniformity at elevated pressure-thermal conditions to facilitate successful introduction of low-acid shelf-stable foods. Combinations of non-thermal technologies with high pressure could reduce the severity of the process pressure requirement. Likewise, processing equipment requires improvements in reliability and line-speed to compete with heat pasteurization lines. More studies are also needed to document the changes in animal and vegetable tissue and nutrient content during pressure processing, from types of packaging, and from storage.

Inactivation kinetics of three Listeria monocytogenes strains under high hydrostatic pressure

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) inactivation of three Listeria monocytogenes strains (EGDe, LO28, and Scott A) subjected to 350 MPa at 20 degrees C in ACES buffer resulted in survival curves with significant tailing for all three strains. A biphasic linear model could be fitted to the inactivation data, indicating the presence of an HHP-sensitive and an HHP-resistant fraction, which both showed inactivation according to first-order kinetics. Inactivation parameters of these subpopulations of the three strains were quantified in detail. EGDe showed the highest D-values for the sensitive and resistant fraction, whereas LO28 and Scott A showed lower HHP resistance for both fractions. Survivors isolated from the tail of LO28 and EGDe were analyzed, and it was revealed that the higher resistance of LO28 was a stable feature for 24% (24 of 102) of the resistant fraction. These HHP-resistant variants were 10 to 600,000 times more resistant than wild type when exposed to 350 MPa at 20 degrees C for 20 min. Contrary to these results, no stable HHP-resistant isolates were found for EGDe (0 of 102). The possible effect of HHP survival capacity of stress-resistant genotypic and phenotypic variants of L. monocytogenes on the safety of HHP-processed foods is discussed.

High-pressure processing--effects on microbial food safety and food quality

High-pressure processing (HPP) is a nonthermal process capable of inactivating and eliminating pathogenic and food spoilage microorganisms. This novel technology has enormous potential in the food industry, controlling food spoilage, improving food safety and extending product shelf life while retaining the characteristics of fresh, preservative-free, minimally processed foods. As with other food processing methods, such as thermal processing, HPP has somewhat limited applications as it cannot be universally applied to all food types, such as some dairy and animal products and shelf-stable low-acid foods. Herein, we discuss the effects of high-pressure processing on microbial food safety and, to a lesser degree, food quality.

Protein synthesis in lactic acid and pathogenic bacteria during recovery from a high pressure treatment

Recovery of injured bacteria after high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment is a key point in food safety. In this study, protein synthesis during the recovery of meat environment bacteria Listeria monocytogenes CTC1011, Lactobacillus sakei 23K, L. sakei CTC494, Enterococcus faecalis CTC6365 and Enterococcus faecium CTC6375 after a 400 MPa HHP treatment was analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and peptide mass fingerprinting. After 2 h recovery from HHP treatment, the four species induced transcription factors and proteins related to protein synthesis or fate and enzymes from energy metabolism. However, several stress proteins were specifically induced in the two L. sakei strains. Proteins from the general metabolism predominated in E. faecalis and E. faecium, and stress proteins and proteases predominated in L. monocytogenes. Thus, each species induced a different number of proteins and displayed a specific response which may reflect its specific fitness status.