High-pressure processing (HPP) of meat products: Impact on quality and applications

Abstract This chapter provides an overview of the scientific knowledge and industrial applications of the use of high-pressure processing (HPP) in fresh and processed meats. The various effects of HPP on microorganisms and meat components such as structural proteins and the myoglobin color system are described. Furthermore, the impact of HPP on product characteristics and quality traits of meat systems such as texture, color, and oxidation of lipids and proteins are presented extensively. The current applications of HPP in the meat industry, namely as a cold pasteurization method, and further, as a method for tenderization of fresh meat as well as to enable the formation of stable structures in the manufacturing of processed meats, are also described thoroughly. Finally, the chapter discusses the main advantages, drawbacks, and future trends of the state of the art of the HPP technology and its use in the meat industry.