Procesamiento no térmico de alimentos

Abstract

Resumen Los procesos comúnmente utilizados por la industria de alimentos ofrecen productos seguros pero, en muchos casos, la calidad de los mismos es significativamente peor a los productos no procesados. En forma reciente, se ha empezado a investigar en forma sistemática y desde un punto de vista científico, tecnológico y práctico, las llamadas tecnologías "no térmicas". Las mismas utilizan como factores principales de inactivación microbiana estrategias que no utilizan el calor. El mismo puede utilizarse como suplemento o puede ser autogenerado por la tecnología utilizada, y a veces puede jugar un papel importante en el proceso como por ejemplo en la esterilización de alimentos de baja acidez utilizando altas presiones. En este trabajo se describen algunas tecnologías "no térmicas" que han adquirido mucha relevancia y que han sido incorporadas a las líneas de proceso en algunas industrias o que, eventualmente, serán incorporadas en un futuro muy cercano. Todas estas tecnologías tienen ventajas y desventajas, y ninguna de ellas es capaz de procesar todos los alimentos, sin embargo debido a la seguridad que ofrecen, la calidad del producto final y los costos involucrados en el uso de las mismas, las hacen una opción muy atractiva a los métodos convencionales, generalmente centrados en el uso del calor. Es del caso señalar que las tecnologías no térmicas pueden ser utilizadas en combinación entre ellas o con otras, buscando efectos sinérgicos lo cual redundará en procesos más cortos y la obtención de productos de mejor calidad. Palabras clave: Tecnología no térmica, tecnología de obstáculos, inactivación, calidad sensorial. Abstract Conventional approaches to process foods have proven to offer very safe products but, in some cases, the quality of the final product is significantly lower to the original one. Nonthermal processing of foods has emerged as a viable alternative to those conventional processing by offering safe products of excellent quality and at very reasonable cost. These emerging technologies utilize nonthermal microbial stress factors as the main inactivation mechanism. In some cases, external sources of heat or self-generated heat are utilized to supplement the main inactivation mechanism. This combination becomes very relevant in the case of the sterilization of low-acid foods by pressure assisted thermal processing (PATP). This article presents some of the most relevant nonthermal technologies where some of them are already in use by the food industry and others will be adopted in the very near future. It is the case; these nonthermal technologies could be used in combination among themselves or with other preservation approaches seeking synergistic effects in order to have shorter processes and very good quality food products.

Tecnologías no térmicas en el procesado y conservación de alimentos vegetales

“…En el procesamiento de alimentos, la idea principal se enfocó en el aprovechamiento del efecto antimicrobiano para frenar los procesos deteriorativos, mientras se conservan la frescura, las propiedades sensoriales y el contenido de nutrientes (Barbosa et al, 2010;Demirdöven et al, 2008).…”

Plesiomonas: A Review on Food Safety, Fish-Borne Diseases, and Tilapia

“…In foods such as fish, the presence of a high content of water and nutrients (proteins, lipids, vitamins, and minerals), along with a pH close to neutrality and warm temperatures, provides a favorable environment for rapid microbial growth [ 5 , 7 ]. Microorganisms can inhabit and survive in many natural environments and can be transferred to food, contaminating them at different stages of the food chain through soil, air, water, insects, animals, and humans [ 3 , 5 , 8 ].…”

“…In foods such as fish, the presence of a high content of water and nutrients (proteins, lipids, vitamins, and minerals), along with a pH close to neutrality and warm temperatures, provides a favorable environment for rapid microbial growth [ 5 , 7 ]. Microorganisms can inhabit and survive in many natural environments and can be transferred to food, contaminating them at different stages of the food chain through soil, air, water, insects, animals, and humans [ 3 , 5 , 8 ]. The absence of or inadequate hygienic conditions and practices in production, processing, and conservation favor the transfer of pathogenic microorganisms to food, giving rise to important health risks to the consumer [ 5 , 7 – 9 ].…”

“…Microorganisms can inhabit and survive in many natural environments and can be transferred to food, contaminating them at different stages of the food chain through soil, air, water, insects, animals, and humans [ 3 , 5 , 8 ]. The absence of or inadequate hygienic conditions and practices in production, processing, and conservation favor the transfer of pathogenic microorganisms to food, giving rise to important health risks to the consumer [ 5 , 7 – 9 ].…”

“…In recent years, fish meat has been considered an alternative to the consumption of beef, pork, and poultry due to the demand for a healthier lifestyle [1]. In the search to satisfy the growing demand for fish, food safety is an essential element to consider since these animals can be vehicles for the transmission of various pathogens, such as Salmonella spp., Vibrio spp., Aeromonas spp., Campylobacter spp., Shigella spp., Yersinia spp., Clostridium spp., Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and Plesiomonas shigelloides, among others, which have been responsible for numerous cases and outbreaks of food-borne diseases in humans worldwide [3][4][5][6].…”