Packaging Challenges with High Pressure Processing

Ultra high pressure (UHP) or high pressure processing (HPP) is essentially a nonthermal process for food preservation. The process has been known and studied since the nineteenth century, but only during the past 30 years has it entered the mainstream of food science and technology.

In this process, food is subjected to elevated pressures of up to 6,000 atmospheres—or 87,000 psi—with or without any heat to achieve a microbiological inactivation mechanically by disrupting the cells. Additional eff…