The expansion of High Pressure (HP) technology has undergone quite a considerable expansion in industry, especially in the food product sectors. This technology is, increasingly, used for the non-thermal pasteurisation of food products, without the application of heat at room temperature or refrigeration temperatures.
By employing HP, and as the pressure is transmitted uniformly and instantaneously throughout the food through the water, it allows faster and more homogenous processing and shorter pasteurisation times. This guarantees food products that are microbiologically safer, with longer shelf life and better nutritional and sensory characteristics than thermal pasteurisation.
Currently, in the market, there is a wide variety of products pasteurized by HP, highlighting the juices, sauces, meat products, ready-to-eat meals, dairy products, among others. Regarding the juices pasteurized by HP, which are characterized by their freshness and maintenance of vitamins and antioxidants, allowing the combination of fruit and vegetable juices impossible to be processed by conventional thermal technologies since would result in their "cooking". Already, for example, in meat products, the use of HP is an alternative to the use of preservatives, ensuring product safety and extended shelf life.
As a result of the focus on the food sector and the successful use of HP technology, HP has been studied for application in other areas, such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and biomedicine.
