The plant world, an important weight in the daily diet.
Currently, the high degree of nutrient loss and the excessive use of additives for the preservation of fruits and vegetables affect the quality of the product, this has prompted the industry to create and apply new technologies with better results.
The application of High Pressure Non-Thermal Processing (HPP) has expanded in recent years thanks to its ability to extend shelf life and kill pathogens without affecting organoleptic attributes. Thanks to this conservation, we can fully enjoy all the components, which are mostly water, followed by carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and pigments, among others.
Conventional preservation treatments such as pasteurization cause undesirable changes in food, which is why new non-thermal preservation techniques have emerged that minimize the effect of treatment on sensory characteristics. HPP is now the most widely implemented non-thermal preservation.
In the industry of fruit derivatives, such as fruit or vegetable juices, it is under continuous study. With this conservation method, new organic, functional and 100% natural products emerge, such as smoothies or vegetable juices. We can find pressurized products such as guacamole, jams, tomato sauce and RTE (ready-to-eat) foods.
The veggie trend, which brings together vegans, vegetarians and flex vegetarians, continues to gain followers. As we can see in the following table, according to the latest forecasts for the sector, the consumption of preparations based on vegetables, fruits and vegetable protein as an alternative to food of animal origin will increase by more than 14% until 2035, going from 13 million metric tons in 2020 to about 100.
CONCLUSION:
Following the trends observed in the consumption of vegetables and the “veggi” lifestyle, High Hydrostatic Pressures lead the food industry worldwide, the alternative to offer the best of each product for longer. To achieve an adequate degree of microbiological inhibition during the commercial life of plant products, it is not necessary to apply heat treatments, which alter their sensory quality. High-pressure cold pasteurization ensures microbiological quality, completely inhibiting pathogenic microorganisms and maintaining spoilage microflora at irrelevant levels.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
- Adriana Hurtado Gomez Tesis Doctoral.pdf
- El efecto del procesamiento por alta presión en la calidad sensorial y la aceptabilidad del consumidor de jugos y batidos de frutas: una revisión – ScienceDirect
- Veggies y veganos: consumo mundial de productos de proteína vegetal 2020-2025 | Statista
- Repositorio Universidad Técnica de Ambato: Análisis de los fundamentos y aplicaciones de las tecnologías no térmicas más utilizadas en frutas y vegetales
