Abstract
Hyperbaric storage at naturally variable room temperature (RT) conditions (18–21 °C) and above (30 °C) was evaluated as a possible new food preservation method, regardless of temperature. Preservation of watermelon juice (used as a case study of a highly perishable food) at RT and 5 °C at atmospheric pressure was compared to preservation under 100 MPa at RT. After 8 h of hyperbaric storage at 100 MPa, the initial microbial loads of the watermelon juice were reduced by 1 log unit for total aerobic mesophiles, and 1–2 log units for Enterobacteriaceae and yeasts and moulds, to levels of about 3 log units for the former and below the detection limit for the latter, and remained thereafter unchanged up to 60 h. Similar results were obtained at 30 °C at 100 MPa after 8 h. At atmospheric pressure at RT (24 h) and 30 °C (8 h), microbial levels were already above quantification limits and unacceptable for consumption. Furthermore, pressure attenuated the increase in titratable acidity verified at atmospheric pressure, but caused higher colour changes, especially a higher lightness and a lower browning degree. Post-hyperbaric storage at 5 °C revealed an extended shelf life, as an additional benefit of hyperbaric storage. These results show that hyperbaric storage is a very promising food preservation methodology.
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Acknowledgments
Thanks are due to Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal), European Union, QREN, FEDER, COMPETE for funding the QOPNA research unit (project PEst-C/QUI/UI0062/2013), and to Sílvia Sousa.
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Liliana G. Fidalgo, Mauro D. Santos, Rui P. Queirós, Rita S. Inácio, Maria J. Mota, Rita P. Lopes and Jorge A. Saraiva contributed equally to this work.
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Fidalgo, L.G., Santos, M.D., Queirós, R.P. et al. Hyperbaric storage at and above room temperature of a highly perishable food. Food Bioprocess Technol 7, 2028–2037 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-013-1201-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-013-1201-x