Getting past pasteurization

Dairy products have been a key component of a healthy diet and a source of many nutrients. The industry has employed time-tested and validated thermal pasteurization and sterilization technologies to ensure consumer confidence. However, changes in consumers' health and wellness-oriented lifestyles and their perceptions about nutrition have redefined the desired attributes in the processed foods they would like to have. HPP can be industrially implemented as a batch, semi-continuous or continuous process. High pressure pasteurization typically involves application of elevated pressures (60,000 to 87,000 psi) at near-ambient or chilled temperatures to a prepackaged food. It is worth noting that like conventional thermal pasteurization, pasteurized food products via HPP still require additional barriers (such as refrigerated storage) for product stability during subsequent handling and distribution. High-pressure-based technologies have the potential to preserve natural freshness as well as the intricate sensory and nutritional quality of a variety of dairy products.