Page 57 - FoodFocusThailand No.195 June 2022

SMART PRODUCTION

อาหารสำเร็จรูปพร้อมรับประทานท่�ใช้้ HPP Is there any limitation of HPP with RTE?
เก็็บไว้้ได้้นานแค่่ไหน Yes, of course. HPP utilizes water as a medium to
transmit the pressure across products. As a result, HPP
อาหารสำำาเร็จรูปพร้อมรับประทานมักจะมีสำ่วนประกอบ works well with food containing a certain amount of
หลายอย่างรวมกัน จึงทำาให้ยากต่่อการให้กรอบเวลา water. Generally, products with a water activity (Aw)
over 0.95 work very well, but many products with Aw
ที�ชััดเจน อย่างไรก็ดีเราอาจเทียบเคีียงกับอาหารสำำาเร็จรูป around 0.8-0.95 are also acceptable. Another influencing
พร้อมรับประทานยี�ห้อต่่างๆ ในต่่างประเทศได้ โดย factor is pH; for RTE that pH > 4.6, there is the risk of
บางยี�ห้อสำามารถยืดอายุการเก็บไปได้นานถึง 140 วัน spore germination, added some chemical or natural
preservative may require. In many cases, producers
ที�อุณหภููมิแชั่เย็น จากเดิมที�เคียเก็บไว้ได้แคี่ 14 วัน reduce the pH of RTE to just below 4.6 to avoid the risk
เท่านั�น of spore germination.
The last limitation is the packaging. It must be
flexible packaging as it will be squeezed under high pressure. A vacuum pack is highly
HPP นำมาใช้้ก็ับอาหารไทยได้้หรือไม่ recommended as the air may be injected inside the product under high pressure and then
คีำาต่อบคีือ ได้อย่างแน่นอน ปัจจุบันนี� ในต่่างประเทศมี expand rapidly when the pressure is released and may cause damage to the products.
การใชั้ HPP กับเมนูอาหารจานเดียวหลากหลายเมนูแล้ว How long of shelf-life can we expect?
นอกจากนี�ในประเทศไทยเอง ยังได้เคียมีการทดลองนำา RTE products have many ingredients, so it’s tough to say. However, everyone can find
many success cases from the major brand of RTE products. For some products, the shelf-
HPP มาใชั้กับเมนูอาหาร อย่างเชั่น บ๊ะจ่าง ซึ่ึ�งที�คีวามดัน life of HPP products is increased to 140 days compared to the conventional processing at
นี�ไม่ได้ทำาให้เมล็ดข้้าวบี�แบนหรือเสำียรูปทรงแต่่อย่างใด 14 days under refrigeration.
เนื�องจาก HPP ให้คีวามดันที�เท่ากันและสำมำ�าเสำมอจาก Is HPP suitable for Thai Food?
ทุกทิศทาง จึงไม่ก่อคีวามเสำียหายให้กับผลิต่ภูัณฑ์์ Yes, why not. There are several HPP ready meal with rice products sold in the market in
many countries. In Thailand, there is a test conducted by using HPP with the sticky rice
dumpling, and the result shows that HPP doesn’t affect the shape of rice. This is because
the pressure is applied equally from every direction, so there’s no product damage.

HPP will apply pressure up to 600 MPa and
hold it for a certain period. The pressure will
transmit to every part and stop the activity of More Information Service Info C007
microorganisms and inactivate them. In Thailand,
HPP is used to produce premium beverages. The
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is starting
to accept HPP as an alternative food processing
method. However, there are many more food
applications to be explored. This article will be
illustrated what HPP can make the difference for
ready-to-eat products.
There are several benefits of HPP technology.
Firstly, HPP can make safer products with a longer
shelf-life by inactivating or even killing spoiling
vegetative microorganisms and pathogens. Much
research confirms that HPP can reduce Listeria
monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and several
strains of different Salmonella more than 5-log.
Many RTE manufacturers can make multiple shelf-
life of products more than 3 times while refrigerated.
Secondly, HPP is applied in the final pack.
Unlike the heating method, most heating is likely
to be used before packing, so contamination is a
risk after the pasteurization process. HPP is also
an excellent opportunity to improve the flavour of
RTE. Some RTE products are slightly overcooked
as manufacturers utilize heat to eliminate
microorganisms and even reheat before packing.
HPP allows producers to reduce heat in the
cooking process; it can improve the products’ taste,
appearance, and quality as HPP is an effective
process to reduce microorganisms. Moreover,
there is a possibility of reducing sodium, sugar,
and preservatives used in the products for shelf-life
purposes, and it might be possible not to use them
anymore. Therefore, HPP allows food producers
to create healthy, clean-label food with a longer
shelf-life.

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