The pressure is adequate for the sterilization of dairy products

2011/02/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Teknologia
• Dietetika/Elikagaiak

The AZTI-Tecnalia technology centre has shown that high-pressure technology is highly recommended for sterilizing certain dairy products rather than conventional heat treatment. Among other things, the project has been developed for the company Tecnolat and, as reported by Tecnolat, the results are "very positive and promising", especially for dairy products with fruit and inactivation of molds and yeasts.

At AZTI-Tecnalia, for example, they have found that after receiving high pressure treatments, the bacteria analyzed were totally inactivated in sweetened fruit preparations. In addition, tests have shown that technology is effective in inactivating specific molds and yeasts of dairy products. Once processed at high pressures, the researchers found that the samples treated, throughout their lifetime (around three months), in addition to maintaining their properties and quality characteristics, kept their organoleptic characteristics practically intact.

Food has been placed at pressures of up to 6,000 bars, which inactivates most destructive or pathogenic microorganisms. It is similar to pasteurization, but due to strong pressures, the properties of food are much less transformed than with conventional treatments. In addition, it reduces the deterioration of the sensory quality of food compared to conventional thermal treatment, extending its useful life. This new technology, also known as pressure-assisted thermal sterilization, has been recognized by the US USDA as an alternative for obtaining stable low acidity products at room temperature.