ABSTRACT
Introduction ........................................................................................................ 206
High Pressure and Chemical and Thermodynamic Principles.................. 206
High Pressure Effects ................................................................................ 207
Compression and Temperature Increase ....................................... 207
Thermal and Physical Properties of Water.................................... 208
Equilibrium and Kinetics of Chemical Reactions......................... 208
Effects of HP on Food Components and Their Reactions................... 211
Effects of HP on Water-Ice Transitions in Foods................................. 212
Action of HP on Microorganisms and Enzymes.......................................... 214
Mechanisms of Action on Microorganisms........................................... 214
Kinetics Effects of HP on Microorganisms ............................................ 215
Inhibition of Enzymes ............................................................................... 218
HP and Changes of Biological Structures of Some Particular Foods........ 220
Milk .............................................................................................................. 220
Casein Micelles................................................................................... 221
Whey Proteins .................................................................................... 222
Fat Globules ........................................................................................ 222
Effects on Cheese-Making Properties ............................................. 223
Meat.............................................................................................................. 224
Fish ............................................................................................................... 224
Cereals.......................................................................................................... 225
Vegetables.................................................................................................... 225
Gels............................................................................................................... 225
Other Products ........................................................................................... 226
Final Remarks..................................................................................................... 226
References ........................................................................................................... 227
High pressure (HP) is part of the new food preservation procedures that
allow products to be obtained with high nutritional characteristics, sensorial
quality, and that are microbiologically safe. HP can also deliver products
with a long shelf life and characteristics similar to those of fresh products.
When applying HP to preserve foods, microorganisms are inactivated
without the use of heat and, therefore, it does not affect vitamin content,
flavor or color of foods (Swientek, 1992; Palou et al., 2000) or the change is
minimum. Consequently, the use of HP is considered a “cold” process
(Crawford et al., 1996). Progress of research in the food and pharmaceutical
industries has, during recent years, allowed the manufacture of products
processed by HP. The potential uses of this technology for food processing
were first suggested in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when Hite et al.
(1899, 1914) demonstrated that the shelf life of milk and other foods could be
extended by subjecting the products to high pressures. However, it was not
until 1991 that the first commercial products became available in Japan, and
consisted mainly of fruit jams and jellies. Currently, products such as
avocado, oysters, rice, desserts, fruit juices, sauces and sliced ham can be
found in countries such as United States, Spain, France, Mexico, and Japan
(San Martı
