High Pressure Processing and its Application in Cheese Manufacturing: A Review

Nowadays, high standard level of living has led to an increase in demand for foods which are minimally processed via high sensory and nutritional quality and also an extended shelf life. High pressure processing (HPP) is one of the techniques that was considered for food preservation at the first application in food industry. Pressures in the range of 300 to 650MPa have been found to affect the micro-organisms, although, there is an exception regarding spores inactivation. Many studies have proved that although the application of high pressure between 400-600MPa in raw milk does not result in a product with equivalent quality as sterilized milk, but, it gives the same quality as pasteurized milk. In addition, it has been proved that high pressure creates important roles in dairy processing. For example, it improves acid coagulation in order to accelerate cheese ripening. This review summarizes some significant studies concerned with the application of HPP for cheese ripening acceleration.