ABSTRACT
One “new” or emerging technology receiving a great deal of attention is high-pressure (HP) processing. Studies examining the effects of high pressure on foods date back to the end of the 19th century, but renewed research and commercialization efforts worldwide could place HP-treated foods in several markets. A high-pressure system consists of a high-pressure vessel and its closure, pressure-generation system, temperature-control device, and material-handling system. The large diameter end of the piston is driven by a low-pressure pump. This direct compression method allows very fast compression, but the limitations of the high-pressure dynamic seal between the piston and the vessel internal surface restrict the use of this method to small-diameter laboratory or pilot plant systems. Indirect compression uses a high-pressure intensifier to pump a pressure medium from a reservoir into a closed high-pressure vessel until the desired pressure is reached.
