Frequently Asked Questions

Are there other names for the High Pressure Technology?

High Pressure Technology is more commonly known in the manufacturing industry as ‘HPP’ for ‘High Pressure Processing’ as this is how the equipment providers have coined the technology. HPP is also the reference found under regulatory guidance with the FDA, USDA, Health Canada, the EU and all other global regulatory bodies. However, the technology is also often referred to as ‘HHP’ for ‘High Hydrostatic Pressure’ and ‘UHP’ for ‘Ultra High Pressure’. These two later names are more commonly used within the academic and scientific communities and are commonly found in research papers. Using UHP, HHP, or HPP all refer to the same equipment that falls under the High Pressure Technology referred to on this website.

What are guidelines for using the logo?

Email Madison Rath, [email protected] & Tom Egan, [email protected] a list of the products you plan to use the HPC logo on.
The CPC will email you an invoice for $250/product along with the License Agreement.
Email the signed license agreement back to Madison Rath, [email protected] & Tom Egan, [email protected] and we will counter sign.
The CPC will email you a link for you to register for the TraQtion database and you will receive an email with your supplier portal login credentials.
In your supplier portal for the HPC logo database, you will load your products and SKU numbers, you will also need to load the letter from a third-party company stating your challenge test passed, along with your approved HACCP Plan letter from a third-party stating you are compliant.

Are facilities using High Pressure Technology available for product development?

There are a number of research facilities throughout the world where food processers can evaluate HPP technology. Contact us for details.

What regulatory approval is required for a High Pressure Product?

The use of High Pressure Technology does not present any unique issues for food processors concerning regulatory matters or labeling. The requirements are similar to traditional thermal pasteurization or sterilization in the United States, where the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) are responsible for evaluating and monitoring the safety of all prepared food and beverages through applicable food safety validation methods. Both the FDA and USDA refer to High Pressure Technology in their guidance documents as ‘High Pressure Processing Equipment’ or HPP for short.

What functional properties does High Pressure affect in food products?

It's generally known that high pressure has very little effect on low molecular weight compounds such as flavor compounds, vitamins, and pigments compared to thermal processes. Accordingly, the quality of high pressure treated food is very similar to that of fresh food products and the quality degradation is influenced more by subsequent storage and distribution rather than the pressure treatment. Pressure also provides a unique opportunity to create and control novel food textures in protein-based or starch-based foods. In some cases, pressure can be used to form protein gels and increase viscosity without using heat.

Are High Pressure products commercially available?

Yes. High Pressure products are commercially available mainly in the US, Canada, Europe, Asia and Oceania retail markets. Examples of high pressure products can be found in our applications section.

What is the shelf life of a high pressure food or beverage product?

High Pressure can extend shelf life up to 10x and improve overall food safety. High Pressure can also provide shelf life similar to thermal pasteurization without changes to color, texture, or flavors that would have been induced by heat. As commercial products are developed, shelf life is established based on microbiological and sensory testing.

Will the process damage the food product?

High Pressure is uniformly applied hydrostatic pressure applied to the entire food product equally and instantly.

For example, a grape placed between fingers can be easily squeezed and broken; this is because the pressure is not applied evenly from all sides simultaneously. On the other hand, if the same grape is squeezed from all sides simultaneously, it will not be crushed. This can be demonstrated by placing a grape inside a bottle filled with water and squeezing it. By squeezing the bottle, you pressurize the water inside the bottle as well as the grape. Yet the grape is not damaged, no matter how hard you squeeze. In the same way, foods processed by high pressure will not be damaged by the applied pressure.

Is High Pressure suitable for all food types?

High Pressure can be used in a broad range of foods. Typically foods with higher acid content are good candidates for High Pressure. All food treated by HPT requires a high level of water activity. For example, a deli meat black forest ham is more suitable for HPT than a dry-cured prosciutto. Both can be treated by HPT but the efficacy of the treatment will be greater in the black forest ham because it has a higher water content. Anything dryer than something similar to the dry-cured meat product is not suitable for HPT. This includes things like nut butters as they have a low water content and high oil.

Some products that are commercially produced using HPT are: cooked ready-to-eat meats, avocado products (guacamole), tomato salsa, applesauce, juice, and oysters, to name a few.

How does this technology benefit consumers?

High Pressure Technology causes minimal changes in the fresh characteristics of foods while achieving food safety requirements. Compared to thermal processing, high pressure results in foods with a fresh taste, better appearance, texture, and nutritional value.

Why High Pressure?

To achieve microbial inactivation and/or to remove chemical preservatives while providing consumer desired qualities, high pressure maintains natural freshness and food quality while extending microbiological shelf life by inactivating most vegetable bacteria at pressures above 60,000psi.

What's the difference between Cold Pressure and High Pressure?

High Pressure Processing is an industry term to reference the equipment used to create High Pressure or Cold Pressure to apply to food and beverage products.

What kinds of products can be preserved using Cold Pressure?

HPP can be used on a variety of fresh food products including juices, dips, salsas, dairy, meat products, seafood products and even cosmetics. The main food chemistry component is for all products to have enough water activity for the pressure to be effective.

What are the benefits of High Pressure?

High Pressure Processing is recognized by the FDA, USDA, Health Canada, the EU and other authoritative bodies for preserving freshness and increasing shelf life without preservatives or high heat. The process leads to the elimination of harmful bacteria while maintaining a higher yield of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes, and preserving a fresher taste.