High hydrostatic pressure on beef meat products

High hydrostatic Pressure, a non thermal decontamination technology.

High hydrostatic pressure inactivates microorganisms by changing the 3D structure of key biological molecules, by creating a pH shift during high pressure processing, and by modification of the permeability of membranes (reversible crystallization of lipids).

Its major application is therefore high microbiological safety. The process tends to be inexpensive if high volumes are used. However, the appearance of the meat product at the end of processing is dependent on the pressure used (< 200MPa can lead to discolouration). Hence the main application of fresh meat is the food service sector. Cured/pre-processed meats do not suffer from discolouration so can be applied more widely.

In High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP) treatment some packaged food is placed in a large pressure vessel and subjected to water pressures from 100 to 900 MPa. The pressure applied is isostatically transmitted inside the pressure vessel. High pressure treatments are applied to vacuum packaged fresh ( 15°C) and frozen ( -18°C) beef at 5 maximum pressures 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 MPa with a holding time of 300 s. Roast beef shows some discoloration while beef carpaccio shows high discoloration when treated at 500 MPa.

Overall high hydrostatic pressure is a useful technology to increase shelf life of commercially available beef products. The colour of fresh beef is significantly changed during processing so the technology is more appropriate for foodservice (catering, restaurants, hospitals, hotels) where the bright red colour of fresh beef is not crucial.

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