High Pressure Processing of Honey: Preliminary Study of Total Microorganism Inactivation and Identification of Bacteria

Abstract

Due to the demand for better quality and safety food as it provides health benefits, the study of innovative high pressure processing (HPP) is currently one of the most interesting researches in food processing and preservation. As an alternative to classical thermal processing, HPP has potential to produce high quality foods that are microbiologically safe with ‘fresh-like’ characteristics and improved functionalities. In present work, the use of HPP will be investigated for its ability to inactivate bacteria spores, the heat resistance microbes. Preliminary results show that it is possible to use HPP to inactivate microorganisms present in high sugar content foods, particularly in Manuka honey. Further investigation will be carried out to find an optimal combination of treatment pressure, temperature and time. This project will generate a new approach in honey processing which can guarantee the safety of honey without a compromise on its quality and natural freshness.