Looking for a simple fix for your food processing business to become more sustainable? High Pressure Processing (HPP) from JBT Avure offers major sustainability advantages by helping prevent unnecessary food waste, while at the same time preserving flavor and nutrients that can be lost when exposed to high temperatures.
With between 40-50% of fresh fruits and vegetables wasted globally every year*, awareness of the importance of sustainability has been growing worldwide and with it a demand from consumers and grocery retailers for foods to be produced in a more sustainable manner.
HPP from JBT Avure uses ultra-high pressure (up to 87,000 psi or 6,000 bar) and purified, cold water to keep packaged food and beverages pathogen-free, and stay fresh longer without preservatives or chemicals.
Extending shelf life
One of the key ways retailers can help prevent food waste is to offer products with a longer shelf-life. HPP treatment from JBT Avure is not only a natural, clean-label technology, but it can also dramatically extend the life of fruits and vegetables, reducing spoilage and increasing profits in the process.
For juices, HPP can extend refrigerated shelf life by at least 90 days, dependent on packaging, which translates to increased distribution opportunities, reduced returns and sensitivity to cool chain abuse, and more efficient production scheduling.
HPP also has important benefits for product quality and nutrient content. According to an article in the journal Trends in Food Science and Technology, HPP helps orange juice retain 90 percent of its vitamin C even after 20 weeks of refrigeration.
The HPP effect is also replicated with wet salads, dips, soups and sauces. HPP reduces the levels of spoilage microorganisms and inactivates food borne pathogens, and can extend shelf life from three to as much as 40 days in some cases.
Lower energy consumption
Reducing energy usage is another key component of current sustainability thinking, with advocates arguing that lower consumption leads to fewer emissions. For food processors, cutting down on energy consumption has a much more down-to-earth benefit: cost savings.
Comparing HPP to thermal pasteurization by autoclave of a vegetable ready-to-eat meal with a 60-day shelf life, a study in the Journal of Cleaner Production found that HPP had a global warming potential more than 20% lower, even when HPP processing included a pre-cooking cycle.
Continuing advances in HPP equipment cycle time and productivity are further reducing energy requirements and have led to some popular food items being moved from frozen to chilled processing and distribution, reducing energy consumption and cutting bills still further.
Clean label processing
A further benefit of JBT Avure’s HPP technology is its ability to deliver “clean label” products; naturally-focused foods that appeal to an increasing segment of the population seeking healthier choices in convenient foods and beverages.
HPP achieves this by allowing food processors to reduce or eliminate ingredients added solely for preservative effects, including chemicals that inhibit bacterial growth. Reduced ingredient usage means eliminating the environmental impacts associated with sourcing those ingredients.
With some preservatives linked to chronic health problems, there is increasing evidence that HPP can contribute to a healthier population and deliver more sustainable products at the same time.
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