34-2 |
High pressure processing of fruits and vegetables |
S. PARNELL, Avomex, Inc., 8500 Old Denton Rd., Keller, TX 76248 Avomex began, with the help and guidance from others, working with the possible application of “High Pressure Processing” with avocado and avocado products in early 1993. Due to the fact that fresh avocado without preservatives and/or further processing only had a shelf life of approximately 7 days, we needed a process that would result in a high kill level of bacteria and pathogens, extended shelf life and no or very little degradation of the taste, texture or nutritional value of avocado or avocado products. Our objective was to produce a fresh tasting, safer avocado product with a reasonable shelf life, approximately 21-30 days, for both the food service and retail segments. Challenge studies performed, utilizing 86,000 - 87,000 PSI, with 2 minute or more dwell time resulted in a minimum of a five log reduction of potentially harmful pathogens. No additional heat was needed in this process to achieve the desired results. All products were pressurized after final packaging, utilizing a “batch” method. The “High Pressure Process” allowed us to achieve our objectives resulting in a 30-day or longer shelf life avocado product with a fresh avocado flavor. In addition, we have found similar results in other fruit and vegetables and have since begun production of Salsa’s and Orange Juice, utilizing “high pressure processing”. All of these products have gained acceptance (due to their fresh attributes) through aggressive grass roots marketing (face to face with the customer), “telling the story” and letting the customer taste the product. The results and our success clearly illustrate the customer demand for safer, fresher tasting and value-added foods. Avomex has been and will be a “High Pressure Processing” food company. We continue to focus on producing new products that meet or exceed consumer expectations through the exploitation of an advance in food processing technology.
Session 34, Applications of high pressure processing technology in the food industry: Case study
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