NCFST Forms HPP Consortium

ARGO, Ill.The National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST), Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), a food research institute in high-pressure processing (HPP) technology, has formed a new HPP working group to drive forward scientific advances and commercial applications for industry. NCFST is inviting food packaging and product companies to join as members.

The formation of the NCFST High Pressure Research Consortium (HPRC) follows a seven-year, industry-supported collaborative Dual Use Science and Technology (DUST) consortium that resulted in development of a novel food sterilization technology, pressure assisted thermal sterilization (PATS). The advanced HPP-based technology utilizes high pressure to produce temperatures that ensure the production of commercially sterile low-acid food products while improving food quality attributes. PATS was accepted in February 2009 by FDA as a new alternative to commercially sterilize low-acid canned food products.

The HPRC will build on the step-change science and commercial viability of PATS technology, which was recognized in June 2009 by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) with an IFT Food Expo Innovation Award.

Over the past 10 years, the use of extreme hydrostatic pressure has gained commercial viability as an alternative preservation method for foods, improving both the safety and quality of many products, says Larry Keener, NCFSTs process authority and president of Seattle-based International Product Safety Consultants. PATS is a major step in the evolution of HPP-based sterilization. Based on this success, NCFSTs High Pressure Research Consortium aims to drive more significant step-change in this evolution by creating a new platform for product innovation and value creation in the food industry.