ARS | Publication request: INTERVENTION TECHNOLOGIES FOR FOOD SAFETY AND PRESERVATION

Submitted to: CRC Press
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: March 6, 2007
Publication Date: August 7, 2007
Citation: Juneja, V.K., Sheen, S., Tewari, G. 2007. Intervention technologies for food safety and preservation. In: Wilson, C.L. editor. Microbial Food Contamination. 2nd edition. CRC Press. Ames, Iowa. p. 347-393.

Technical Abstract: Food preservations with several different technologies, including irradiation, retort, aseptic processing, microwave and hydrostatic high pressure, are discussed in this chapter. Some of the methods are considered relatively mature technologies, e.g. retort and liquid aseptic; however, most of them are still under development, especially, when applied to a large-scale production with microbial safety concerns. Food processes may be divided into two categories – thermal and non-thermal. Thermal inactivation of microbes plays an important role for pathogen kill and food safety. The recently emerged hydrostatic high pressure (HHP) technology has drawn attentions of scientists and engineers to develop process equipment and explore its applications. A current trend shows that a "hybrid" method involving HHP with a higher temperature process is on the rise which may take the advantages of both thermal and non-thermal lethality of pathogens to improve the product qualities. Another example is the combination of microwave and higher pressure, where with a well designed process, products may be heated more uniformly and therefore, shorten the process time to preserve and to maintain food quality and nutrients.