As the food industry is frequently moving toward new product improvement and innovative proposals through the latest processing methods, one of the most successful processing advancements made until today or the new technology in food processing implemented is processing under cold-pressure.
Cold-pressure technology has a significant potential and earned success in the food industry, as a new and novel technology that can accomplish the same food safety standards as that of heat pasteurization, while at the same time meeting the demand for fresh-tasting minimally processed foods.
High pressure cold pressed juice technology extends shelf life and kills at least 99.9% of the microbes in the product. Cold-pressure application can inactivate microbes and enzymes and modify their structures, with little or no effect on the nutritional and sensory quality of foods.
Cold-Pressure Processing is a cold pasteurization process which involves subjecting food which is sealed in a flexible and water-resistant packaging, to a high level of hydrostatic pressure (pressure transmitted by water in a chamber) up to 600 MPa / 87,000 psi from a few seconds to a few minutes. In the case of juices, the bottles are filled with blended juice and are sealed. These sealed bottles are then put into the Hyperbaric machine. The bottles coming out at the other end, they now contain almost no existing microbes, and now have a shelf life of about 30-45 days, instead of raw juice which is usually 3-5 days.
Although the Non-Thermal Pasteurisation effect of high pressure on foods has been acknowledged since the 19th Century, but it was not until the 1990´s that the first cold-pressured products were developed. Since 2000, processing using cold press technology has been successfully achieved in all type of food industries worldwide.
Process juices and food items under cold press technology is a natural and environmentally friendly process that respects the ingredient and helps maintain the fresh food characteristics like flavour, taste and nutrients. It prolongs shelf life while preserving organoleptic qualities by inactivating microorganisms and enzymes and leaving flavours and vitamins intact. It is an alternative to traditional thermal and chemical treatments.