High-pressure processing in inactivation of Salmonella spp. in food products

Background: Salmonella is a pathogen that can contaminate a wide variety of foods and caused many outbreaks worldwide. Nowadays, the food industry mainly uses thermal processing to improve the safety and shelf life of foods. However, thermal treatment such as pasteurization may affect the fresh-like characteristics of a food product. This fact has pushed the food sector to explore a solution that preserves the fresh-like properties of foods. Scope and approach: High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) is an emerging technology that has been studied and is seen as a real alternative to thermal procedures in food decontamination. This article has reviewed recent findings of its application in food products to increase the safety against Salmonella spp. Key findings and conclusions: HHP have potential to preserve food and inactivate Salmonella spp. at the same level of thermal pasteurization and also preserve fresh-like properties in vegetable and animal products. More intense HPP conditions are necessary to inactivate these bacteria in solid food than in liquid ones. Moreover, the use of HHP with other hurdles can improve the reduction of Salmonella spp. counts and prevent their recovery during storage. Further research might help overcome the low effect in some food products with high fat, protein and sugar content as well as low water activity that reduce the effectiveness of HPP to inactivate these bacteria.