Mary-Grace C. Danao

　　Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA

　　The use of high hydrostatic pressures for food, feed and fiber processing is finding increased application within the food, pharmaceutical, and agricultural industries. One of the advantages of this technology is the use of pressure, instead of heat, to inactivate pathogens or to denature deleterious proteins. This results in product matrices with sensory and nutritional attributes that are largely unaffected so product quality is typically rated as “better” than traditionally processed materials and product shelf-life is often extended. This review aims to identify the opportunities and challenges associated with high pressure processing (HPP) technology, including a discussion on the effects of high pressure on food, feed, and fiber components, potential heat transfer problems and resulting non-uniformity in processing, obtaining reliable and reproducible data for process validation.