High Pressure Treatment Kills Dairy Mold Without Changing Quality Or Flavor

Spain’s AZTI-Tecnalia technological center has shown that treating dairy products using high pressure technology deactivates molds and yeasts while preserving flavor and other important characteristics. Scientists, who worked with Spanish dairy companies, say the high pressure technology provides an alternative to traditional heat-based treatments for decontamination of dairy foods. Similar results have also been found with ready-to-eat fruit products. According to the researchers, dairy food samples processed with high pressure not only conserved quality for up to three months, they also tasted better than the traditional (heat treated) samples. The scientific team subjected the food to high pressure – up to 6,000 bars – that resulted in the inactivation of most pathogenic microorganisms, without modifying food properties or characteristics. The team is also experimenting with combinations of high pressure and temperature.