Effects of High-Pressure Technology on the Functional Properties of Milk and Fermented Milk Products

HPP (high pressure processing) is one of the novel technologies to produce microbiologically safe food. HPP is a non-thermal food processing method, wherein the food is subjected to a very high pressure ranging between 100-800 MPa in order to prevent undesirable chemical and microbiological reactions, and hence, prolong the shelf-life. HPP is also called as “high hydrostatic processing, ultra-high pressure processing or isostatic processing”. In dairy products, HHP has the potential to modify the functional properties of proteins, polysaccharides and alter biochemical reactions without significantly affecting the nutritional and sensory properties. HPP treatment induces significant changes in milk components particularly in proteins (whey proteins and caseins), as well as on their applicability in innovative dairy productions. HPP influences technological properties of various milk products such as firmness, water-holding capacity of the gel and network structure, cheese yield, rennet coagulation time and ripening.