SUMMIT-ARGO, ILL. — The National Center for Food Safety and Technology (N.C.F.S.T.) has formed the High Pressure Research Consortium in an effort to further drive advances and commercial applications in the use of high pressure food safety technology. The new consortium is in the process of inviting food packaging and food processing companies to join as members.
"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," said Larry Keener, N.C.F.S.T.’s process authority and president of Seattle-based International Product Safety Consultants. "PATS (pressure assisted thermal sterilization) is a major step in the evolution of H.P.P.-based sterilization. Based on this success, N.C.F.S.T.’s 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."
The H.P.R.C. will focus on the scientific validity and commercial viability of pressure-enhanced sterilization technologies, Mr. Keener said, which will include PATS and other emerging methods that may help solve the challenges of preserving products that require thermal processing.
Companies and groups currently enrolled with the H.P.R.C. include the Campbell Soup Co., Michael Foods, PepsiCo, Inc., Avure Technologies, Basic American Foods and the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center. Interested companies may contact Armand Paradis, director of business development, at (708) 563-8175, or via email at aparadis2@iit.edu, for additional details about the H.P.R.C.
