Factory

High pressure treatment is a cold pasteurization treatment, therefore it is effective on the reduction of the vegetative forms, but it has no effect on the spores. Even if pH of a vegetable puree is usually acid, the HPP-treated product must be refrigerated, since enzymes are not inactivated.

To sterilize it, it is necessary to combine the HPP treatment with a heat treatment, using the synergistic effect of the two technologies. This application is called PATS.

What type of packaging can be used to treat a food product in a high pressure plant?

The products to be treated in a high pressure plant must be packed in rigid but flexible materials; it is possible to treat heat-sealed bags, trays or bottles in plastic material having suitable closures resistant to treatment. It is not possible to use glass, aluminum or tinplate containers, as well as all those materials that are not able to undergo minimal deformation.

Is the size or shape of the product important to establish high-pressure treatment parameters?

Unlike classic heat treatments, where heat is transferred from the heating medium (generally water or steam) to the product at a certain speed, in hyperbaric treatments pressure is exerted instantaneously in all the points of the food treated, regardless of its shape.

Ohmic treatment is a heating technology alternative to classic pasteurization and sterilization with steam or superheated water. Depending on the pressure applied in the plant, sterilization temperatures can also be reached, and products with low acidity stable at room temperature be obtained.

Is it possible to treat products in pieces (particulate products) by ohmic treatment?

Ohmic treatment is a heating technology particularly suitable for products in pieces, as it allows formulations with a piece content up to 85-90% to be processed.

The drying tunnels that use radio frequencies normally work in combination with the classic hot air technologies. By exploiting the synergic effect of hot air/radiofrequency it is possible to reduce treatment times and improve the uniformity of residual humidity in the finished product.