Ultra High Pressure Homogenization potential within the Made in-Italy project “ATENA”

In the last decades, industrial and research partners have worked together, developing several patents, for the advance of new HPH equipments able to reach pressures up to 400 MPa and more, offering the challenge to use this technology as alternative to thermal treatments. In this framework, the present research is intended to present some results obtained within the Made in-Italy project ATENA, whose overall objective was to exploit new technologies for the production of new generation of products, based on the Mediterranean diet, characterized by high nutritional values, safety and improved shelf-life with respect to the traditional products. Particularly, the potential of the patented pilot equipment, realized by GEA, was tested at 400 MPa on apple and zucchini puree safety, shelf-life and quality parameters such as texture and colour. Also challenge tests, using pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms, were performed. The treated samples were compared with samples treated at lowest pressure levels, both at refrigeration and room temperature. The results obtained in this investigation showed that the sample stability was related to the matrix composition both from a microstructural and chemico-physical point of view. In fact, the apple-based puree was stabilized, also at room temperature, using UHPH between 200 and 400 MPa. At these pressure conditions, pathogenic species was completely inhibited, independently on the storage temperature applied. Differently, the zucchini puree presented a very short shelf-life at room temperature even if when treated at 400 MPa, suggesting the use of additional hurdles for this matrix. UHPH at 400 MPa increased quality parameters and texture of both the tested vegetable matrices. The data obtained permitted to confirm the potential of UHPH for the stabilization of matrices characterized by specific chemico-physical features. In this case, the replacement of traditional thermal treatments can represent an advantage for the industry since this UHPH, as cold technology, has a lower impact on the environment, sustainable costs, improving the quality product features