The Role of Technology
in Food Safety
High-Pressure Processing, Food Safety,
Increased Shelf Life and Nutritional Value:
The Benefits of a New Technology
in a Changing World
by Errol V. Raghubeer, Ph.D.
Vice President, Microbiology & Food Technology
Avure Technologies Inc.
1While American consumers today have access to food that is — without question — the safest in the world,
recent food scares from lettuce, spinach and pet food poisonings along with massive beef recalls have
reduced consumer confidence in food safety to an all-time low. According to a 2010 report from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, 48 million people in the U.S. alone get sick from eating tainted food
each year, and the number of such illnesses, particularly from Salmonella, has remained stagnant over at
least the past 5 years.1
Food-borne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, and E. coli O157:H7 continue to pose
a significant threat to public health—at great cost to our nation’s food producers and consumers. The cost
of managing food-borne disease outbreaks may be as high as $23 billion yearly, according to data from the
centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).2 Consider the impact of the following food contamination
outbreaks:
• In 1998, a nationwide outbreak linked to hot dogs contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes killed 21
people, and sickened another 100.3
• In 1999, unpasteurized orange juice contaminated with Salmonella resulted in 423 illnesses4; a few
years earlier, apple juice contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 resulted in the death of a child.
• Between 1990 and 2000, oysters and clams caused 2,136 illnesses nationwide due to a variety of patho-
gens, primarily Norwalk virus and the Vibrio bacteria.5
• In 2011, a Salmonella outbreak linked to ground turkey began in May resulting in 136 illnesses across
34 states with 1 death, and ultimately a recall of over 36 million pounds of ground turkey products.6
In addition to encouraging the implementation of an active intervention method as a step within HACCP
plans, industry and government should join forces to educate consumers about food safety—while
respecting the right of the consumer to make decisions about products they purchase and the
technologies used to make these products safe.
How can consumers be better protected from food-borne pathogens? How can food producers significantly
improve food safety and deliver the highest quality products? Although no single approach will address all
of the nation’s food safety and security challenges, the technology exists today to make foods safer.
The most time-honored approach to killing bacteria involves the use of high temperatures, or so-called
“thermal processes.” While heat pasteurization and cooking are very effective in destroying bacteria, the
use of high temperatures can also destroy some of the important characteristics of food—including flavor,
texture, color, and nutrition.
Other methods of controlling food-borne pathogens involve the use of chemical additives and
preservatives. These, however, may have undesirable effects on the quality of food.
1 CDC, 2010
2 “HACCP: A View to the Bottom Line,” unpublished paper by Larry Keener, April 2002
3 CDC
4 CDC
5 Center of Science in the Public Interest, August 2000
6 CDC
2HPP: a safe and effective technology to combat food-borne pathogens
Another approach to food quality, safety, and security, which scientists have recognized and studied for
the past hundred years, has been commercialized as an effective means to destroy food-borne pathogens
such as E. coli 0157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella. This technology, known as high-pressure
processing, or HPP, uses physical pressure rather than heat, chemicals, or irradiation to make foods safer
while conserving the desirable characteristics of the food. Because it does not involve the use of high
temperatures, HPP is frequently described as a “non-thermal” method.
Over the past 20 years, using advanced engineering methods, domestic and global companies have refined
and commercialized high-pressure processing. Today, HPP has clearly demonstrated its ability to destroy
harmful food-borne pathogens and extend the quality of a wide range of foods. HPP equipment is now
manufactured in the United States and Europe. As a result, food manufacturers are increasingly turning to
HPP to make food safer as well as to extend quality and shelf life and create all-natural, preservative-free
products. In fact today the retail market for HPP foods is estimated to be approaching
$2 billion annually.7
HPP works by subjecting food to extremely high hydrostatic pressure—up to 87,000 pounds per square inch
(psi). While HPP does have its limitations—for example, products high in air content such as bread cannot
be processed with HPP—it has significant advantages and works most effectively on foods that are high
in liquid content. Ready-to-eat meats (cold cuts), fresh juice, prepared fruits and vegetables, deli salads,
smoked fish, picked crabmeat and oysters are a few examples of products that can benefit from HPP.
Covalent bonds are not broken during HPP, and as a result, no free radicals or chemical by-products are
formed. Although no direct evidence exists to show that the free radicals produced by irradiation or high
temperature cooking are dangerous, free radicals remain a public concern. In addition, HPP does not “add”
anything to food. As a result, neither the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), nor the U.S. Departure of
Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) require approval of high-pressure processing.
What makes HPP effective at improving the safety of certain foods? HPP works because uniform high pres-
sure affects microbial cellular integrity and metabolism without affecting the covalent structures of food
components responsible for nutrition and flavor. The effectiveness of HPP doesn’t depend on the size or
thickness of the food item—its impact is instantaneous and uniform throughout the product, whether it’s a
one-pound package of sliced chicken meat or a six-pound prosciutto ham.
As a food safety technology, HPP offers food manufacturers another means of meeting the FDA’s food
safety requirements, while still maintaining the highest quality food product possible. For example, when
used as an active intervention step within a HACCP plan, HPP can achieve greater than the 5-log reduction
of food-borne pathogens as required by the FDA’s new Juice HACCP Rule8 without heat pasteurization of
the juice.
7 Avure Technologies estimate
8 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration 21 CFR Part 120; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point
(HAACP); Procedures for the Safe and Sanitary Processing and Importing of Juice; Food and Drug Administration, HHS
3HPP can also be used as an active post-harvest intervention step to increase the safety of raw shellfish
from potential Vibrio bacteria contamination. As new applications and benefits of HPP are developed,
the food industry as well as the FDA and USDA are actively investigating the potential benefits for broad
commercial use.
Avure Technologies Incorporated, the global leader in high pressure technology has taken the HPP
concept and commercialized it. Today Avure manufactures a wide range of HPP systems for laboratory,
pre-production and full production use, along with specialized systems available for the seafood industry.
The company, through its dedicated food laboratory, assists customers with HPP recipe and packaging
development as well as regulatory approval. It has also secured a number of HPP process patents. As of
April 2008, Avure had supplied over 50% of the world’s HPP commercial capacity, more than all other
vendors combined.9
Consumer acceptance of HPP technology
Proprietary research shows that high-pressure processing ranks higher in consumer acceptance than most
other food safety methods, including irradiation. According to several research studies, consumers feel
most comfortable with a process that does not add anything to the food they are eating.10 Consumer
acceptance was further tested in June 2000, when the Seattle-based research firm, TRD Frameworks,
conducted research designed to measure consumer reactions to high-pressure processing. TRD Frameworks
conducted phone interviews with 500 randomly selected primary shoppers across the United States.
Based on these interviews, overall reaction to high-pressure processing was very positive, with more than
70 percent of consumers rating the technology between 6-7 on a 1-7 scale. The most important benefit of the
technology, consumers reported, is its ability to keep food safe while maintaining original product quality.
Subsequent research, conducted in 2001 by GMA Research Corporation of Bellevue, Washington, indicates
that food executives responsible for quality assurance and food safety feel that negative consumer
perceptions of irradiation constitute a “barrier to acceptance” of irradiation and open the door to a more
consumer-friendly technology.11
Nationally recognized companies including Vegessentials (fresh juices), Maple Lodge Farms (poultry),
Ifantis (deli meats), Garden Fresh (salsa), JuicyLine (fresh juices), Perdue Farms (poultry), Fresherized
Foods (guacamole, salsa), Calavo (avocado products), Leahy Orchards (applesauce), Winsoms of Walla Walla
(chopped onions), Motivatit Seafoods, Nisbet Oyster Company, Joey Oysters (oysters), and others have
installed Avure HPP equipment in their manufacturing plants to produce safe, high-quality foods. HPP
products are also being produced internationally in Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Korea.
9 Avure Technologies internal research
10 Irradiation Conference Report
11 “Food Safety Technology Study”, conducted by GMA Research Corporation, Bellevue, WA, 2001
4HPP has been demonstrated to be successful with the following product categories:
Ready-to-eat meats and poultry: HPP is effective in destroying Listeria in ready-to-eat meats such as
sandwich meat, sausage, and other packaged deli cold cuts. HPP reduces Listeria in these products without
subjecting the products to post-packaging reheating or ionizing irradiation. HPP does not promote the
formation of the free radicals that lead to the loss of desirable sensory qualities such as moisture or flavor.
With HPP the product remains fresher and retains its flavor.
Seafood and molluscan shellfish: HPP is effective in killing the dangerous Vibrio bacteria often found
in raw shellfish without destroying texture and taste. HPP offers the added benefit of separating the
shellfish or crustacean meat from the shell. This is a significant economic benefit to shellfish processors.
HPP also kills Listeria and extends the refrigerated shelf life of smoked fish, picked crabmeat and other
seafood products.
Fruit and vegetable products: HPP can kill potential food-borne pathogens and extend refrigerated shelf
life in fresh salsa, dressing, guacamole, and other value-added fruit and vegetable products.12
Juice: HPP can produce fresh-tasting, safe juice, while also extending its refrigerated shelf life. Scientific
data shows that food pathogens such as Salmonella, L. monocytogenes, and E. coli O157:H7 are effectively
destroyed by HPP without changing the juice’s fresh, natural characteristics. HPP can achieve a greater
than 5-log (100,000 times) reduction of the pathogens of concern in fresh juice, and is recognized as a
viable technology for the FDA’s 5-log pathogen reduction in fruit juice and cut fruits. Similar approvals
have been granted in Europe, Canada, and other countries.
Conclusion
As a food safety and food security technology, HPP offers these benefits to processors and consumers:
• Safety
HPP provides an effective means of combating food-borne pathogens. Nothing is added to the food
during the HPP process.
• Quality
HPP preserves the quality without impacting the sensory characteristics and nutrition of most food.
HPP also reduces food waste by extending the refrigerated shelf life of many perishable products 2X
or more. High quality ingredients must be used to achieve high quality final products. This significant
shelf life extension also enables products to reach new geographic markets
• Consumer-friendliness
Research indicates that consumer acceptance of HPP is very high. HPP does not involve the use of
irradiation or chemical preservatives, and it is environmentally friendly. Because HPP can dramatically
increase shelf life without the use of preservatives, food processors are able to deliver the all-natural
clean label foods that today’s consumers desire.
12 Numerous studies have been conducted on HPP bacteria inactivation in foods. For example, Raghubeer, R., Dunne, P., Farkas, D., Ting, E.; “Evaluation of
Batch and Semicontinuous Application of High Hydrostatic Pressure on Foodborne Pathogens in Salsa”, Journal of Food Protection, Vol. 63, No. 12, 2000.
5As a result HPP is being used extensively by processors for manufacturing of all-natural products in the
ready-to-eat meat category and shucking and shelling of seafood. There is also global acceptance of HPP
for processing preservative free processed fruit and vegetable products and high growth of fresh juice and
smoothie applications. Lastly, there are strong emerging markets for ready-meals, deli salads, guacamole
and salsas, condiments, soups, and dressings.
To learn more about HPP solutions, please visit www.avure.com/food.
Avure Technologies Global Headquarters and Americas Sales
210 Gothic Court
Franklin, TN 37067
+1 615.224.2600
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Email: [email protected]
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