Effect of high pressure processing on wheat dough and bread characteristics

Microbial, physical and structural changes in high pressured wheat dough were studied as a function of pressure level (50-250 MPa) and holding time (1-4 min). Thereafter, selected conditions of high hydrostatic processing (HPP) were applied to bread dough and the technological quality of the obtained breads was studied. The effect of HPP on wheat dough was investigated by determining microbial population (total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, moulds and yeasts), color and mechanical and texture surface related dough parameters (cohesiveness, adhesiveness, hardness and stickiness). HPP reduced the endogenous microbial population of wheat dough from 10⁴ colony forming units/g (CFU) to levels of 10² CFU. HPP treatment significantly (P < 0.05) increased dough hardness and adhesiveness, whereas treatment time reduced its stickiness. Scanning electron micrographs suggested that proteins were affected when subjected to pressure levels higher than 50 MPa, but starch modification required higher pressure levels. HPP treated yeasted doughs led to wheat breads with different appearance and technological characteristics; crumb acquired brownish color and heterogeneous cell gas distribution with increased hardness due to new crumb structure. This study suggests that high hydrostatic processing in the range 50-200 MPa could be an alternative technique for obtaining novel textured cereal based products.     

Effect of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) on structure and activity of phytoferritin

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) has drawn considerable attention because of its potential application in food industry. Ferritin, an iron storage protein, is widely distributed in food made from legume seeds, which is highly stable due to its shell-like structure. Therefore, it is of special interest to know whether or not high HHP treatment has effect on this protein. In this study, the structure and activity of soybean seed ferritin (SSF) were examined by circular dichroism spectrum (CD), UV–VIS and fluorescence spectrophotometry in conjunction with stopped-flow light scattering upon treatment with HHP at 400 MPa for 10 min. Results revealed that such treatment has little effect on the primary and secondary structure of SSF, but pronouncedly altered its tertiary and quaternary structure. As a result, the protein aggregation property and iron release activity were dramatically changed, while its activity of iron oxidative deposition was kept unchanged.     

Effect of high hydrostatic pressure and temperature on carrot peroxidase inactivation

The combined effects of pressure and temperature on the activity of carrot peroxidase (POD) were investigated in the pressure range 0.1–600 MPa and the temperature range 25–45 °C. At lower pressures (<396 MPa), carrot POD stability increased compared to unpressurized samples. Inactivation of 91% was obtained at 600 MPa and 45 °C. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) combined with temperature treatment enhanced the inactivation of carrot POD. Regeneration of POD activity with the combined HHP and temperature treatments followed first order kinetics at 25, 35 and 40 °C. Regeneration was not observed at 506 MPa and 45 °C. HHP had no significant effect on the loss of vitamin C or on protein content. HHP combined with mild heat treatment was found to be better than the thermal treatment at high temperatures for inactivation of POD in carrot processing.     

Recent advances in gelatinisation and retrogradation of starch by high hydrostatic pressure

Starch is the major polysaccharide following cellulose, but native starch has limited application due to physicochemical and functional properties. To handle such problems, starch is usually modified with either thermal or more recently by non-thermal technologies such as high hydrostatic pressure (HHP). HHP is a non-thermal technique that can be applied to a variety of food materials with minimum effect on nutritional quality. High-pressure levels can cause physicochemical changes in starch such as partial/completely gelatinisation, reduction in solubility and swelling power, increasing pasting temperature and content of slowly digestible starch (SDS) and retention of retrogradation. These physicochemical changes depend on the starch type, pressurisation level, treatment time and temperature. This review has evaluated and synthesised the current research about the effect of HHP on starch gelatinisation, retrogradation and physicochemical properties of starch.     

Effect of high hydrostatic pressure on starches: A review

Various strategies have been employed to enhance starch property, including thermal processing, chemical modification. The application of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) may be a complementary, synergistic, or an additive starch enhancement technique. While most current applications of HHP are in starch processing, over 25 starches had been investigated by HHP, which can induce gelatinization and modification of some starches. Different starch responds differently to high pressure depending on the pressure range, starch source, pressurization temperature and time, different solvent and starch concentration. We have re‐examined the information on the various factors that influence the HHP‐induced structure, gelatinization, retrogradation, and modification of starches from different plant sources, with an emphasis on the HHP‐induced gelatinization. The compiled evidence of high pressure starch enhancement in this paper indicates that HHP is an effective technology with potential for greater utilization in starch application.     

Microbiological food safety assessment of high hydrostatic pressure processing: A review

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) processing as a novel non-thermal method has shown great potential in producing microbiologically safer products while maintaining the natural characteristics of the food items. Scientific research of the process and its industrial applications has been widespread in the past two decades with many scientific publications describing its uses, advantages and limitations. The review describes the effect of HHP on foodborne pathogenic microorganisms, their structures and adaptive mechanisms, the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that affect its application with a focus on microbiological safety, and research needs. In a risk assessment context, tools and mechanisms in place to monitorize, optimize and validate the process, and procedures for assessing and modelling the lethal effect of the treatment are reviewed.     

Retrogradation properties of rice starch gelatinized by heat and high hydrostatic pressure (HHP)

Retrogradation process of pressure-gelatinized rice starches was investigated and compared with the heat-gelatinized ones in this study. Our results showed that the retrogradation rate of normal rice starch gelatinized by high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) was slower than that by heat. Nevertheless, there was no difference in retrogradation rate for waxy rice starch gelatinized by the two treatments (P > 0.05). The DSC data were further analyzed using the Avrami equation. The result indicated that the pressure-gelatinized normal rice starch had a lower recrystallization rate (k) and a higher Avrami exponent (n) than the heat-gelatinized one, but the two treatments did not affect the k and n for waxy rice starch. Furthermore, the intact starch granules and lower amylose leaching were observed only in the pressure-gelatinized normal rice starch. These findings suggest that the retardation mechanism of HHP on starch retrogradation is probably attributed to less broken granules and lower leached amylose.     

Maillard-type reactions under high hydrostatic pressure: Formation of pentosidine

Application of hydrostatic pressure up to 600 MPa on a solution consisting of N ^α -acetylarginine, N ^α -acetyllysine and ribose in equimolar ratios (pH 7.4, T=60 °C, t=2 h) resulted in a pressure-dependent increase of the pentosidine content. This marker for the advanced Maillard reaction could also be found protein-bound in enhanced yields by increasing pressure on β-casein incubated with ribose in solution. Received: 4 January 2000     

Sustainable production of pectin from lime peel by high hydrostatic pressure treatment

The application of high hydrostatic pressure technology for enzymatic extraction of pectin was evaluated. Cellulase and xylanase under five different combinations (cellulase/xylanase: 50/0, 50/25, 50/50, 25/50, and 0/50 U/g lime peel) at ambient pressure, 100 and 200 MPa were used to extract pectin from dried lime peel. Extraction yield, galacturonic acid (GalA) content, average molecular weight (M_w,ave), intrinsic viscosity [η]_w, and degree of esterification (DE) were compared to those parameters obtained for pectins extracted using acid and aqueous processes. Pressure level, type and concentration of enzyme significantly (p < 0.05) influenced yield and DE of pectin. Enzyme and high pressure extraction resulted in yields which were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those using acid and aqueous extraction. Although pressure-induced enzymatic treatment improves pectin yield, it does not have any significant effect on M_w,ave and [η]_w of pectin extracts indicating the potential of high pressure treatment for enzymatic pectin production as a novel and sustainable process.     

Modeling the growth of lactic acid bacteria in sliced ham processed by high hydrostatic pressure

The main responsible for the spoilage of cooked cured meat products stored under refrigerated and anaerobic conditions are lactic acid bacteria. The application of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) reduces the lactic acid bacterial growth extending the product shelf-life and preserving natural taste, texture, color and vitamin content. This work studied the influence of pressure level and holding time on the lactic acid bacterial growth in vacuum-packaged sliced ham. Modified Gompertz and Logistic models were used to fit experimental data obtained from post-treatment microbial counts carried out along the product storage. Samples of sliced vacuum-packaged ham treated by HHP and control samples (non-treated) were stored at 8 °C until the microorganism population reached 10⁷ CFU/g. An experimental planning 2² with triplicate at the central point was designed to determine the influence of pressure level (200, 300, and 400 MPa) and holding time (5, 10, and 15 min) on the product shelf-life. The results have shown that the pressure intensity and the holding time significantly influenced microbial population over the product storage. Shelf-life of ham treated at 400 MPa for 15 min was extended from 19 (control samples) to 85 days.     

Modeling mass transfer during osmotic dehydration of strawberries under high hydrostatic pressure conditions

Simultaneous application of high hydrostatic pressure (200–400 MPa) during osmotic dehydration of strawberries was studied in this investigation. The high hydrostatic pressure treatment improved the diffusion coefficients of water and soluble solids compared to atmospheric pressure operation. Effects of process pressure on diffusion coefficients were achieved through an Arrhenius-type equation. Mathematical modeling of mass transfer was performed applying Newton, Henderson–Pabis, Page and Weibull models. Based on statistical results, the Weibull model gave the best goodness of fit on the experimental data under the studies' operative conditions.Industrial relevance: This article deals with the mathematical modeling of mass transfer during simultaneous high hydrostatic pressure treatment and osmotic dehydration of strawberries. Transfer of water and soluble solids during this combined process were satisfactorily simulated with the Weibull model. Results indicated that application of this innovative technology improved strawberries dehydration rates compared to atmospheric pressure operation resulting in a dried fruit with intermediate moisture content ready to be used as input material of further processes.     

Effect of high hydrostatic pressure on antimicrobial activity and quality of Manuka honey

The antimicrobial activity of Manuka honey is of major interest to beekeepers and the honey industry. In this study, the effect of high hydrostatic pressure and thermal treatments on antimicrobial activity and quality parameters (principally, diastase number and hydroxymethylfurfural levels (HMF)) of Manuka honey were investigated. The honey was subjected to different pressures (100-800MPa) at 25°C for a range of holding times (15-120min). The antimicrobial activity was found to increase with applied pressure for a given holding time, while the diastase number and HMF levels remained, more or less, unaffected. The percentage inhibition in microbial growth correlated linearly (R(2)=0.94) with methyglyoxal concentration in the honey after treatment over the entire range of pressure, temperature and holding times studied. Maximum percentage inhibition (78.83%) was achieved when honey was subjected to 800MPa compared to the control (57.93%). Thermal treatments at higher temperatures were found to have a detrimental effect on antimicrobial activity based on percentage inhibition as well as methylglyoxal content. Thus, it can be concluded that the levels of methylglyoxal, and therefore the antimicrobial effect of Manuka honey, can be enhanced by using high pressure processing without adversely affecting honey quality.     

A comparative study of changes in the microbiota of apple juice treated by high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) or high pressure homogenisation (HPH)

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of High Pressure Homogenisation (HPH) compared with High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP) on the microbiological quality of raw apple juice during storage at ideal (4 °C) and abuse (12 °C) temperatures. In the case of HPH, only low numbers of micro-organisms were detected after treatment at 300 MPa (typically between 2 and 3 log.ml⁻¹). These were identified as Streptomyces spp., and numbers did not increase during storage of the juice for 35 days, irrespective of storage temperature. In the case of HHP, the total aerobic counts were also reduced significantly (p < 0.05) after treatment for 1 min at 500 and 600 MPa and the numbers did not increase significantly during storage at 4 °C. However, during storage at 12 °C the counts did increase significantly (p < 0.05) and by day 14 counts at 500 MPa were not significantly different from the control juice. This confirms that good temperature control is important if the full benefits of HHP treatment are to be realised.Frateuria aurantia dominated the microbiota of the HHP apple juice stored at 12 °C along with low levels of Bacillus and Streptomyces spp.The HPH and HHP juices both turned brown during storage indicating that neither treatment was sufficient to inactivate polyphenol oxidase. The enzyme is known to be pressure resistant and this discolouration was controlled by a heat treatment (70 °C for 1 min) used in commercial practice and given prior to HP treatment.     

Promoting structure formation by high pressure in gluten-free flours

In order to evaluate the potential of high pressure (HP) treatment to improve the functional properties of gluten-free flours, the effect of HP on the rheological properties of three gluten-free batters was investigated. Buckwheat, white rice and teff batters (40 g/100 g) were treated for 10 min at 200, 400 or 600 MPa. Changes in the microstructure of the batters after HP-treatment were observed using scanning electron microscopy. Pasting profiles revealed HP-induced starch gelatinisation. Furthermore, Lab-on-a-Chip capillary gel electrophoresis revealed protein polymerisation by thiol/disulphide-interchange reactions in white rice and teff batters. For buckwheat proteins however, no such cross-linking mechanism was observed, which was explained by the absence of free sulfhydryl groups. An increase in viscoelastic properties at higher pressures was observed, and could be explained by the modifications occurring in starch and protein structure. Overall, this study has shown that HP-treatment has the potential to improve functional properties of gluten-free batters.     

Preservation of Manzanilla Aloreña cracked green table olives by high hydrostatic pressure treatments singly or in combination with natural antimicrobials

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatments (singly or in combination with natural antimicrobials) were tested for stabilization of Manzanilla Aloreña seasoned olives stored at 25 °C. HHP (5 min) was highly effective on yeast populations at 300 MPa or higher. No viable yeasts were detected in samples treated at 400 MPa for up to three months. Low levels of endospore-forming bacteria were always detected after HHP treatments. Addition of nisin to the brines reduced bacterial counts by 1.4 log cycles but it had no effect on yeasts when tested singly or in combination with HHP treatment (400 MPa, 5 min). Thyme oil had almost no effect on yeast concentrations, but rosemary oil reduced yeast viable counts progressively during storage. Essential oils in combination with HHP (400 MPa, 5 min) significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the concentrations of aerobic mesophilic bacteria. Low-salt brined olives purged with N₂ or supplemented with ascorbic acid and then pressurized for 5 min at 450 or 550 MPa were preserved for up to 5 months without spoilage, suggesting that the NaCl content in brines of packed Manzanilla Aloreña table olives could be reduced considerably by application of HHP as a stabilization treatment.     

Environmental factors influencing the inactivation of Cronobacter sakazakii by high hydrostatic pressure

The effect of High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP) on the survival of Cronobacter sakazakii was investigated. Deviations from linearity were found on the survival curves and the Mafart equation accurately described the kinetics of inactivation. Comparisons between strains and treatments were made based on the time needed for a 5-log₁₀ reduction in viable count. The ability of C. sakazakii to tolerate high pressure was strain-dependent with a 26-fold difference in resistance among four strains tested. Pressure resistance was greatest in the stationary growth phase and at the highest growth temperatures tested (30 and 37 °C). Cells treated in neutral pH buffer were 5-fold more resistant than those treated at pH 4.0, and 8-fold more sensitive than those treated in buffer with sucrose added (a_w = 0.98). Pressure resistance data obtained in buffer at the appropriate pH adequately estimated the resistance of C. sakazakii in chicken and vegetables soups. In contrast, a significant protective effect against high pressure was conferred by rehydrated powdered milk. As expected, treatment efficacy improved as pressure increased. z values of 112, 136 and 156 MPa were obtained for pH 4.0, pH 7.0 and a_w = 0.98 buffers, respectively. Cells with sublethal injury to their outer and cytoplasmic membranes were detected after HHP under all the conditions tested. The lower resistance of C. sakazakii cells when treated in media of pH 4.0 seemed to be due to a decreased barostability of the bacterial envelopes. Conversely, the higher resistance displayed in media of reduced water activity may relate to a higher stability of bacterial envelopes.     

Removal of pesticide residue in cherry tomato by hydrostatic pressure

The reduction of Chlorpyrifos (CP) in cherry tomatoes by High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment was demonstrated and compared with other washing methods. CP is commonly used as a broad-spectrum insecticide in pest control, and high residual levels have been detected in vegetables. Samples were treated at several pressures (0.1–400 MPa) and at two temperatures (5 or 25 °C) for 30 min. The optimum HHP conditions for reducing CP were around 75 MPa at 5 °C, and the removal rate was about 75%. This removal rate is slightly higher than other treatments such as soaking in ethanol solution and ultrasonic, accompanied by no visual changes (color, size and shape) in appearance. Also, no toxic intermediates were identified in the extracts of the high-pressure treated cherry tomatoes under these experimental conditions. The present results indicate that HHP can be a useful choice for removing residual pesticides.     

Shelf-life extension of cooked ham model product by high hydrostatic pressure and natural preservatives

The inactivation of different spoilage organisms and surrogate pathogens in a cooked ham model product by high pressure (HP) treatment (100–700 MPa, 5–40 °C, 10 min) was investigated. A 5 log reduction could be achieved at ≥ 600 MPa at ≥ 25 °C. Subsequently, the shelf-life of packaged sliced product was studied during storage (7 °C) after treatment at 600 MPa (10 °C, 10 min) in combination with caprylic acid and Purasal^®. Without HP treatment, a plate count of 6 log CFU/g was reached after 40 days, both in presence and absence of antimicrobials. HP treatment delayed this initiation of spoilage to 59 days in absence of antimicrobials. However, microbial growth was completely suppressed during at least 84 days in the HP treated products containing caprylic acid or Purasal^®. HP treatment increased drip loss but had no or little effect on colour and sensorial evaluation by a taste panel. However, the antimicrobials had a negative influence on the flavour and aroma at the concentrations used.

Industrial relevance

With a steadily increasing number of commercial applications being introduced on the market, HP pasteurization is growing out of its infancy. To further support this development, there is a need of integrated studies that translate fundamental scientific findings from simplified laboratory model systems to the complexity and scale of real food products. In this work, we determined HP processing conditions to control spoilage and pathogenic bacteria in a cooked ham model product, and subsequently conducted a large pilot scale experiment comprising a total of 432 individual packages of sliced cooked ham product, in which the microbiological, physicochemical and sensorial quality was evaluated during refrigerated storage after HP treatment. In addition, the usefulness of the natural preservatives caprylic acid and lactate-diacetate as an additional hurdle was also studied. This study is one of the most comprehensive available in the literature to document the shelf-life extension that can be achieved with HP treatment of cooked ham.     

Hemoglobin hydrolysates from porcine blood obtained through enzymatic hydrolysis assisted by high hydrostatic pressure processing

The purpose of this work was to obtain discoloured hemoglobin (Hb) hydrolysates from porcine red blood cells fraction by combining enzymatic hydrolysis and high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatments. Samples of Hb were submitted to treatments of enzymatic hydrolysis by trypsin (EC 3.4.21.4) or pepsin (EC 3.4.23.1), under controlled conditions of temperature and pH, for 2, 6 and 24 h, and pressurization at 400 MPa, at 20 °C for 15 min, after the addition of the proteases. To evaluate the effects of the proteolysis reactions, the effectiveness of discolouration, the extent of hydrolysis as the percentage of non-protein nitrogen, and the SDS-PAGE electrophoretic profiles of the hydrolysates were determined. The results showed that HHP had a significant influence on enzymatic hydrolysis of Hb by trypsin, whereas did not improve the extent of proteolysis in the case of pepsin. The main conclusion derived from this study is that pressurization of Hb samples after the addition of trypsin enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis of the Hb, hence permitting a decrease in the incubation time.

Industrial relevance

The present study is focussed on assessing the effects of enzymatic hydrolysis with trypsin or pepsin assisted by HHP treatment on the discolouration of Hb from porcine blood. HHP treatment was able to increase the activity of trypsin and to enhance discolouration effectiveness of Hb with pepsin. The results from this work corroborate the potential of the application of HHP processing combined with enzymatic treatments on the development of food ingredients from porcine blood.