Supercritical carbon dioxide technology in food processing: Insightful comprehension of the mechanisms of microbial inactivation and impacts on quality and safety aspects

Abstract

Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC‐CO2) has emerged as a nonthermal technology to guarantee food safety. This review addresses the potential of SC‐CO2 technology in food preservation, discussing the microbial inactivation mechanisms and the impact on food products’ quality parameters and bioactive compounds. Furthermore, the main advantages and gaps are denoted. SC‐CO2 technology application causes adequate microbial reductions (>5 log cfu/mL) of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms, enzyme inactivation, and improvements in the storage stability in fruit and vegetable products (mainly fruit juices), meat products, and dairy derivatives. SC‐CO2‐treated products maintain the physicochemical, technological, and sensory properties, bioactive compound concentrations, and biological activity (antioxidant and angiotensin‐converting enzyme–inhibitory activities) similar to the untreated products. The optimization of processing parameters (temperature, pressure, CO2 volume, and processing times) is mandatory for achieving the desired results. Further studies should consider the expansion to different food matrices, shelf‐life evaluation, bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds, and in vitro and in vivo studies to prove the benefits of using SC‐CO2 technology. Moreover, the impact on sensory characteristics and, mainly, the consumer perception of SC‐CO2‐treated foods need to be elucidated. We highlight the opportunity for studies in postbiotic production. In conclusion, SC‐CO2 technology may be used for microbial inactivation to ensure food safety without losing the quality parameters.

Prevalence, serotype, antimicrobial susceptibility, contamination factors, and control methods of Salmonella spp. in retail fresh fruits and vegetables: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…HPCD treatment has been found to be highly effective in reducing Salmonella levels in strawberry slices, with a potential reduction of almost 2 log CFU/g (Zambon et al, 2022). Furthermore, HPCD demonstrates exceptional efficacy in inactivating Salmonella in coconut water after a brief treatment period and strong inhibitory effect on E. coli (Deng et al, 2020;Veiga et al, 2024). Serving as an efficient sterilization technique, HPCD harbors the capability to extirpate microorganisms without detracting from the nutritional integrity of fruits and vegetables.…”