ABSTRACT
Food industry has responded to this demand with minimally processed foods (such processes exert minimal impacts on food characteristics), foods with low levels of sugar, salt, fat, and foods free of additives or preserving agents. Manufacturers have also seen the opportunity to develop markets with a new range of products and the food industry has entered the era of (nutri-) functional foods that, together with nutraceutics, help intestinal transit, cholesterol regulation, immune system stimulation and so on. The preservation of such nutritional properties for long periods is often a complicated task. Prehistoric humans already salted fishes, sun dried fruits, and froze meat. Later, in the 19th century, Pasteur and Appert invented thermal technologies of pasteurization and sterilization, respectively. However, none of these technologies is totally satisfactory because foods rapidly lose their organoleptic and nutritional qualities, and microbial activity may not be completely
eliminated. The quest for innovative solutions is one of the current challenges of the food industry. The improvement of food processing and preservation is the main rationale for the use of high pressure in this field. High pressure technology fulfills the current requirements for food safety and quality.
