Carbon Dioxide Technology for Food Safety

Sterilization or pasteurization processes are quite common in food industry to ensure product’s safety; however, these processes can damage the sensorial and nutritional food characteristics. Moreover, the growing consumer demand for minimally processed foods is driving the development of new conservation methods. Therefore, in recent years companies have begun working to meet consumer demands, addressing the search for new technologies to ensure product safety and reducing sensorial or nutritional looses. Among these new technologies ainia has a long and consolidated experience in carbon dioxide technology. The high pressure carbon dioxide technology is presented as a promising non-thermal alternative due to its minimal effect on nutritional and sensorial food properties. Numerous studies have shown its efficacy in food microbial inactivation. In some cases requiring high pressure and temperature, and long treatment times, effects which raise operating costs of the treatment. In order to get more efficient treatment, it is proposed to combine the technology of high-pressure CO2 with power ultrasound (the latter as a means of improving mass transfer phenomena).   INNOVATIVE ASPECTS AND MAIN ADVANTADGES / BENEFITS: Advantages: Improvement of sensorial and nutritional characteristics of the product ensuring its food safety. Modification of production processes in order to obtain effective treatments that are energy saving, more economical and environmentally improved. Compliance with current legislative requirements. Benefits: Microbial and enzyme inactivation in different food matrix (meat products, fish products, fruits and vegetables, etc.). Control in stored products (cereals, nuts, etc). Replacing existing decontamination technologies