High pressure processing (HPP) and gamma irradiation were applied to inactivate <i>Vibrio vulnificus</i> (MO624) and <i>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</i> (O3:K6 TX2103) in pure culture and in inoculated live oysters. <i>Vibrio</i> pure culture and inoculated oysters were exposed to pressures of 207 MPa (30 kpsi) to 552 MPa (80 kpsi) for 0 min to maximum of 20 min. More than 5.4 log reductions of <i>V. vulnificus</i> occurred at 345 MPa for 0 min in oysters; 345 MPa for 2 min can achieve 4 log reductions on <i>V. parahaemolyticus</i>. Dosage of 1 kGy gamma-irradiation was proved to be effective in producing <i>Vibrio</i> free oysters with comparable organoleptic quality to raw oysters. Thermal conductivity of shucked oysters was measured to be 0.58 to 0.68 W/m°C, as temperature increased from 0 to 50 °C, using a line heat source probe. The specific heat was measured by differential scanning calorimeter methods. It increased from 3.80 to 4.05 kJ/kg °C, when temperature rose from 10 to 50 °C. The thermal diffusivity was calculated employing the data of thermal conductivity, specific heat and density of shucked oysters. The results showed that, under the tested temperature range, thermal properties did not change significantly with temperature. The dielectric constant and loss factor of oysters were determined by an open-ended coaxial line probe connected to a network analyzer at frequency of 30 MHz to 3000 MHz from 1 to 55 °C. The penetration depth of dielectric heating was calculated to be 1.1 cm with the dielectric constant of 55 and loss factor of 14. A two-dimensional mathematical model was established to simulate the heat transfer of microwave heating using a fish gel. Finite difference method was utilized to solve partial differential heat transfer equations. The model was able to predict the temperature distribution in heated fish gel with an accuracy of ± 8°C. Applying the developed mathematical model, the lethality of <i>Vibrio</i> spp., artificially inoculated in live oysters, was estimated collectively by integrating the individual localized lethality of designated heating units. The predicted lethality was compared with microwave enumeration data on Vibrios in oysters. The observed maximum log reductions by microbial enumeration were 4.4 and 3.4 for <i>V. vulnificus</i> and <i>V. parahaemolyticus</i>, respectively. The lethality calculated by integrating temperature profiles was acceptable. The discrepancy between the estimated lethality and microbial test was attributed to the simplified model construction. The quality of processed oysters, including color, aroma and texture properties, was evaluated instrumentally by a digital image system, an electronic nose and universal testing machine. The performance of two electronic nose systems on their abilities to detect oyster aroma and classify the aroma data into distinct groups was evaluated using a trained sensory panel and microbial tests. Cyranose 320 system has demonstrated potential as a quality assessment tool due to its sound correlation with microbial quality data and sensory evaluation scores. According to the quality measurement results, high pressure processing conditions were recommended to be at 345 MPa for less than 3 min and 379 MPa for less than 1.5 min. Deterioration of the quality was distinct for oyster meats exposed to 60 °C or above by thermal processing. The critical thermal processing condition was identified to be 55 °C for 2 min. With careful control, microwave processing could be considered as a candidate for seafood processing to reduce potential bacterial hazard but still retain the quality of the product. / Ph. D.

In this study the action of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) on compression heating of liquid foods and pressure transmitting fluids, inactivation of Escherichia coli and Listeria innocua in different food media (milk and fruit juices), pulsed pressure and high pressure carbon dioxide treatments was investigated. The experimental results in this study allowed pointing out some important results: (i) The thermal effects of compression should be taken into account when HHP pasteurization processes are developed. Initial temperature of the food product and compression rate should carefully be selected in order to compensate the compression heating / (ii) The HHP inactivation kinetics need not follow traditional first-order kinetics, hence alternative inactivation models are ought to be found. Weibull model can be used for HHP inactivation kinetics of microorganisms / (iii) The pulsed pressure treatment could be an alternative to continuous HHP, but optimization should be done between the pulse holding time, the number of pulses and the pressure level to reach the desirable number of log-reduction of microorganisms (E. coli and L. innocua) compatible with an industrial application / (iv) The storage duration and storage temperature after HHP treatment should carefully be optimized to increase the safety of HHP treated fruit juices since the growth of injured microorganisms can be avoided during storage / (v) The high pressure carbon dioxide (HPCD) treatment in combination with pulsed pressure can be an efficient way to inactivate the microorganisms in skim milk and to reduce the maximum pressure level for the desired log-reduction.

Orientador: Pilar Rodriguez de Massaguer / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-04T02:36:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 NolascoJunior_Jonas_M.pdf: 917952 bytes, checksum: 1c082a25920f5c8390a73425551d86ef (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005 / Resumo: Nesta pesquisa é proposto um processo de tratamento térmico do mosto, com máxima preservação do conteúdo em açúcares fermentescíveis (sacarose, glicose e frutose), a fim de promover a inativação térmica de seus contaminantes bacterianos e por extensão os da fermentação alcoólica. Com esse objetivo foram examinadas as cinéticas de degradação térmica da sacarose, glicose, frutose e açúcares redutores totais (ART) (110 ¿ 140ºC) e também dos esporos de B. stearothermophilus (98 ¿ 130ºC), esporulado termo-resistente contaminante típico de mosto. Todos os fatores termodegradáveis estudados apresentaram cinéticas de destruição térmicas não-lineares de forma que o índice de redução decimal (D), obtido por regressão linear, não foi representativo da velocidade de inativação térmica, e assim as cinéticas foram analisadas mediante modelos não lineares que permitiram obter as constantes de velocidade de inativação (k). Seguidamente utilizando um gráfico tipo Arrhenius a energia de ativação Ea foi determinada e o valor de z foi obtido. As curvas de sacarose remanescentes obtidas durante estudo da sua hidrólise térmica, foram ajustadas por modelos logísticos que se mostraram apropriados para descrever ombros planos e caudas finais nas curvas cinéticas. A energia de ativação e valor z obtidos foram 112,32 kJ/mol e 26,99ºC, respectivamente. Essa reação se mostrou praticamente equimolecular quanto às hexoses produzidas. As curvas de concentração de ART vs tempo remanescentes foram ajustadas por modelos logísticos bipopulacionais, apropriados em casos em que o processo global é descrito por duas frações de compostos, as hexoses glicose e frutose, que se degradam em velocidades diferentes e apresentam ombros e caudas. Os valores de energia de ativação obtidos para a frutose e glicose foram bem próximas: 140,37 kJ/mol e 140,23 kJ/mol, respectivamente. Os valores z obtidos foram 21,59ºC e 21,61ºC. Quanto às velocidades de degradação a frutose apresentou velocidade 9 vezes maior do que a da glicose. A suspensão de esporos se mostrou heterogênea em resistência. A temperatura influenciou a forma das curvas de sobreviventes, para os esporos de B. stearothermophilus ATCC1518. Nas temperaturas mais baixas, as curvas de inativação térmica apresentaram ombro plano, passando por comportamento de modelos de frações lineares consecutivas, e finalmente na temperatura mais elevada apresentou modelo linear com eliminação da fração termo-sensível. Os valores de energia de ativação e z obtidos foram 249,52 kJ/mol e 11,48ºC, respectivamente. O processo térmico para inativação dos contaminantes do mosto foi definido após o decantador, onde foram quantificados grandes grupos microbianos em amostras coletadas de Usinas situadas em regiões de clima e umidade distintas. A concentração máxima de esporos termofílicos produtores de acidez plana foi de 9x101esporos/ml de mosto em Usina localizada em região quente e úmida enquanto um valor de 4 esporos/ml de mosto foi encontrado em Usina localizada em região de clima seco e com predominância de solo com baixa capacidade de retenção de água. Foi determinada a letalidade do processo de decantação para os contaminantes do caldo de cana e mosto através da determinação da história térmica mínima detectada no ponto mais frio de dois decantadores industriais. Baseado no tempo de residência médio e na temperatura mais fria detectada foi possível estimar que a decantação produz, em média, 4,0 x 106 reduções decimais da população de Lactobacillus fermentum e apenas 0,14 reduções decimais nos esporos de B. stearothermophilus. Baseado no conhecimento da cinética dos principais fatores termodegradáveis foi definida uma região de tratamento térmico que se extende dos 114 a 140ºC e de 3000 a 4 segundos. Graficamente essa região é um triangulo delimitado, abaixo pela reta correspondente a 5 reduções decimais dos esporos de B. stearothermophilus e acima pela reta correspondente à preservação de 98,7% dos ART do mosto. O nível de preservação de 98,7% dos ART foi escolhido pela precisão das análises usadas na determinação dos mesmos (1,3%). Qualquer processo térmico dentro dessa região será capaz de satisfazer o requisito de 5 reduções decimais dos esporos de B. stearothermophilus e preservação de 98,7% dos ART do mosto. A prática desse processo térmico implica na adoção de uma estratégia preventiva no controle da contaminação da fermentação em oposição às estratégias corretivas baseadas no uso de antibióticos que se pratica nas Usinas de Açúcar e Álcool Brasileiras / Abstract: In this research is proposed a thermal treatment process for sugar cane must with maximum retention of fermentable sugar (sucrose, glucose and fructose), to promote a thermal inactivation of its bacterial contaminants and therefore, those of alcoholic fermentation. With this objective were examined the thermo degradation kinetics of sucrose, glucose, fructose, total reducing sugars (TRS) (110 ¿ 140ºC) and also B. stearothermophilus spores (98 ¿ 130ºC), a typical thermo resistant sporulated contaminant of musts. All thermo degradable factors showed non-linear thermal destruction kinetics due to this the D value, obtained for linear regression, could not be used, thus the kinetics were reported by Arrhenius model, obtaining the reaction rates (k), Activation Energy (Ea) and the z value through out Ea values. Sucrose remaining curves obtained as a function of time during its thermal hydrolysis, were fitted by logistic models which are suitable to describe flat shoulders and ending tales in the kinetic curves. Activation Energy and z value were 112,32 kJ/mol and 26,99°C, respectively. This reaction showed to be equimolecular in regard to the produced hexoses. TRS remaining curves vs time were adjusted by logistic bipopulational models, suitable when the overall process presents two fractions, the hexoses glucose and fructose, with different degradation rates with shoulders and tales. Ea and z values for fructose and glucose were quite close: 140,37 kJ/mol, z of 21,59°C and 140,23 kJ/mol, z of 21,61°C, respectively. As far as degradation rates are concerned, fructose showed to degrade 9 times faster than glucose. Spores suspension showed heterogeneity in thermal resistance. Temperature affected the shape of survival curves for B. stearothermophilus ATCC1518 spores. At lower temperatures, it showed flat shoulder, passing through consecutive linear fraction models behaviors, and finally at higher temperatures followed linear model with elimination of the thermo-sensible fraction. Ea and z values were 249,52 kJ/mol and 11,48°C respectively. A thermal process for sugar cane must contaminant inactivation was defined after the decanter, where microbiological quantification of various microbial groups was carried out on samples from sugar cane mills located in region with different climate and humidity conditions. The maximum thermophilic flat-sour spores count was of 9 x 101 spores/ml of must and was originated from a sugar cane mill located at the warmest and most humid region, while a count of 4 spores/ml of must was found in a plant with dry climate and with soil of low capability for water retention. Decanters lethality of must contaminant was determined based on the minimum detected thermal history in two industrial equipments. Applying the average residence time with this thermal history, it was estimated that the decantation results, on average, 4,02*106 log reductions of Lactobacillus fermentum and only 0,13 log reductions in the counting of B. stearothermophilus spores. Based on the kinetic knowledge of the thermo degradable major factors it was established a thermal process region from 114 to 140C and 3000 to 4 seconds. Graphically, this region is a triangle delimited by the line for 5 log reductions of B. stearothermophilus (lower limit), and the line for 98,7% retention of the must TRS. This preservation level was adopted considering the accuracy of the sugar analysis methodology (1,3%). Any thermal process within this region will be able to satisfy the requirement of 5 log reductions for B. stearothermophilus and 98,7% retention of must TRS. The implementation of this thermal process implies in the adoption of a preventive strategy in the contamination control of the fermenting process, opposite to the corrective strategies currently applied based on antibiotics, which is common practice in Brazilian Sugar Canes mills / Mestrado / Ciência de Alimentos / Mestre em Ciência de Alimentos

Low water activity foods (LWAF), specifically nuts and dried fruits, have been generally considered safe because they do not support the growth of foodborne pathogens. However, many pathogens have been noted to survive in LWAF for considerable periods of time, and a number of recent outbreaks and recalls have implicated various types of nuts and dried fruits. The Food Safety Modernization Act requires food processors to develop preventive control plans that make ready-to-eat LWAF safer for consumers. The presented research was designed to investigate several aspects of LWAF safety by evaluating a steam process as a strategy to remove pathogen contamination from LWAF, modeling the inactivation of such treatments, and studying the thermal resistances of two E. coli strains in low-water activity solutions. Low-temperature, vacuum-assisted steam (vacuum-steam) was evaluated as a potential intervention and preventive control to remove pathogens from the surface of LWAF without using high-heat treatments that could damage product quality. The presented work examined the efficacy of vacuum-steam (<85°C) as a means to decontaminate the surface of whole macadamia nuts, dried apricot halves, and raisins from Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) contamination. The low-temperature steam treatments successfully reduced all pathogens by >4 log CFU/g from the surfaces of the foods. Additionally, Pediococcus acidilactici, proved to be a surrogate organism for these pathogens and could be used to challenge and validate similar treatments within processing plants. The data were fit to models, which showed that food type significantly impacted the fit, with the Weibull model best describing bacterial inactivation kinetics on raisins and macadamia nuts, and the Gompertz model best describing reductions on the apricot halves. The models were challenged for validation of their abilities to predict times required for 3-log reductions using internal and external datasets, determining the usefulness to industry members who wish to design similar thermal treatments for LWAF. Comparing predicted values from internally constructed models to observed values generated from external data, models were shown to be limited in scope and application and could only be applied to pathogen inactivation on different LWAF or thermal processes in certain circumstances. First-order and Weibull model predictions of bacterial reductions on dried apricots had varied success in predicting times for 3-log reductions on other thermally treated LWAF. However, the models of bacterial reductions on thermally treated macadamia nuts frequently overestimated the times required for 3-log bacterial reductions for other LWAF. In an effort to understand the effect that reduced water activity has specifically on STEC, two strains were investigated for induced thermal resistance due to osmotic stress. Thermal resistance of STEC strains (O121:H19 and O157:H7) were evaluated on the basis of strain variation, culture preparation, and water activity (D- and z-values). At the lowest treatment temperature (56°C), O121 displayed greater heat resistance than O157, and the broth-grown samples exhibited greater heat resistance than the lawn-grown cells, but significant differences were not observed at higher temperatures. Samples in reduced-water activity solutions displayed reduced thermal resistance at 56°C, but the z-values were 29-43% higher than those of high-water activity samples. While water activity has been shown to impact thermal resistance of pathogens, comparisons of STEC thermal resistance according to the D- and z-values revealed that other factors also play roles in pathogen thermal resistance on LWAF. Results from the collection of experiments conclude that efficacy of thermal treatments is impacted by the physiological state of the cells, stress experienced in the food matrix, and characteristics of the food, including water activity and composition. / Doctor of Philosophy / Consumers expect foods they purchase to be safe to consume by themselves and family members, particularly those that are ready-to-eat with no additional cooking requirements. Many of these foods are low-water activity foods (LWAF), like nuts and dried fruits, with very little water content that could be used by bacteria. These foods may be preferred snack foods due to their affordability, long shelf lives, and health benefits over other types of snack foods. Until recently, LWAF were generally considered safe because they do not support the growth of foodborne pathogens due to the lack of moisture or water within the food. However, a number of recent outbreaks related to various types of nuts and dried fruits have proven that many pathogens can survive in dried foods, even if not actively growing, for considerable amounts of time. Designed to address these types of food safety issues, the Food Safety Modernization Act recognizes risks associated with foods and responded with regulations requiring food processors to take steps to make ready-to-eat LWAF, like nuts and dried fruits, safer for consumers. A popular strategy is to treat foods with heat to destroy pathogens, however the quality attributes of some nuts and dried fruits could be damaged by high-heat treatments like roasting. An alternative process uses a vacuum to form steam at lower temperatures, allowing for efficient heat transfer through water droplets to the surface of the foods, thus causing less damage to the foods without introducing too much moisture. This research evaluated how this process could be used by food processors to remove harmful bacteria from the surfaces of whole macadamia nuts, dried apricot halves, and raisins. Results indicated that the low-temperature steam treatments successfully reduced Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) by >4 log CFU/g (>99.99%) from the surfaces of the foods. Additionally, a nonpathogenic lactic acid bacterium, Pediococcus acidilactici, exhibited similar or greater heat tolerance, which would allow food processors to use it as a substitute, or surrogate, for in-plant studies without introducing harmful bacteria into the food processing environment. Mathematical models were used to describe the trends of bacterial death due to the steam treatments, and the results indicated that the type of food significantly impacted the reduction of bacteria. The models were tested using additional data collected within our own laboratory, as well as others. Results indicated that some of the models could be used as predictors of bacterial death for similar LWAF but can only be applied with caution and consideration for the type of food and process. Additionally, two different E. coli strains associated with outbreaks (O121:H19 and O157:H7) were investigated to understand impacts of strain variation, growth method, and water activity on thermal resistance. Some differences in heat resistance were observed between the strains and between the growth methods. Additionally, the reduced water activity seemed to decrease the bacteria's ability to withstand some heat treatments. Overall, thermal resistance studies indicated that several factors, in addition to water activity, impact pathogens' development of resistance to heat treatments. The experiments' results show that there are complex relationships between bacteria and the food they inhabit. Food processors must consider these relationships in order to design the best thermal processes to make LWAF safe for consumers.

[EN] High Hydrostatic Pressure technology emerged several years ago in response to consumer interest for products having greater organoleptic and nutritional quality than those traditionally processed by heat. The food industry initially improved preservation processes developing continuous heat treatment HTST, UHT and aseptic packaging. However, despite these improvements foodstuffs preserved by heat still have quality losses. Although initially the application of High Hydrostatic Pressure in the field of food was focused towards preservation, with the development of technology and research around new applications raised that make it very interesting for the sector. In this context, the aim of this thesis has been the application of High Hydrostatic Pressure on the preservation of fresh cheese and the revalorization of by-products from cheese factories. For this, the effect of treatments by high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) on pathogenic microorganisms (S. aureus, L. monocytogenes) and spoilage microorganisms (Rhodotorula glutinis, aurantiogriseum Penicillium, Pseudomonas fluorescens) that are present in lactic products is evaluated as well as the effect of various factors (sodium chloride (NaCl), initial treatment temperature) on microbial inactivation. To study this effect peptone water at concentrations of 0; 0.1; 0.5; 0.8% NaCl was used as reference medium and fresh cheese as complex matrix containing 0.5% NaCl. Pressure ranges between 200 and 550 MPa (Mega Pascals) were used with short treatment times (in the order of seconds to several minutes), combined with a moderate initial temperature of 20 to 50 °C.The results of microbial inactivation were fitted to the mathematical model that best described the behavior of inactivation curves, allowing predicting the behavior of the microorganisms being treated by HHP under different environmental factors. Treatments by HHP of R. glutinis and P. aurantiogriseum around 350 - 400 MPa generated more than 5 log10 reductions on the initial contamination. The NaCl concentration present in the reference medium for these two microorganisms was an additional control factor. Regarding the effect of the substrate significant differences between the mean values obtained for the reference medium and the complex matrix (cheese) were observed, fresh cheese showed a lower reduction in the initial inoculated load. Due to the production processes of cheesemaking large amount of residual whey generated is a problem under the environmental point of view. In this thesis the use of residual liquid whey was also studied in conjunction with whey protein isolates (WPI) for the purpose of producing gels with a high biological value through various HHP processes. The various mixtures of whey and different percentages of WPI (5, 7, 11, 15% w/v) processed by HHP resulted in gels with different characteristics. The pH values, color (L * a * b *) vary slightly directly depending on the WPI concentration and the storage time. The hardness values and gumminess were modified depending on the liquid medium and the concentration of WPI. The use of cheese whey to gelation favored water retention, significantly reducing the syneresis under refrigeration. This study shows the potential of HHP as control measure, demonstrating the effectiveness of these treatments to prolong the shelf life of fresh cheeses and as unconventional technique to generate new textures that can have great industrial interest at the same time that revalorize some wastes. / [ES] La tecnología de las Altas Presiones Hidrostáticas (HHP) emergió hace varios años como respuesta al interés de los consumidores por disponer de productos de una mayor calidad organoléptica y nutricional que los tradicionalmente procesados por calor. La industria agroalimentaria inicialmente mejoró sus procesos de conservación por calor desarrollando los tratamientos continuos HTST, UHT y el envasado aséptico. Sin embargo, a pesar de estas mejoras los productos alimenticios conservados por calor siguen presentando pérdidas en su calidad final. Aunque al principio la aplicación de las Altas Presiones Hidrostáticas en el campo de la alimentación se enfocó hacia la conservación, con el desarrollo de la tecnología y la investigación alrededor de ella han surgido nuevas aplicaciones que la hacen muy interesante para el sector. En este contexto, el objetivo de la presente tesis doctoral ha sido la aplicación de las Altas Presiones Hidrostáticas en la conservación de queso fresco y en la revalorización de subproductos de queserías. Para ello, se evalúa el efecto de los tratamientos por Altas Presiones Hidrostáticas (HHP) sobre microorganismos patógenos (Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes) y alteradores (Rhodotorula glutinis, Penicillium aurantiogriseum, Pseudomonas fluorescens) de productos lácteos y el efecto de diversos factores presentes en los alimentos (cloruro sódico (NaCl), temperatura inicial de tratamiento) sobre la inactivación microbiana. Para estudiar este efecto se utilizó como medio de referencia agua peptona a concentraciones de 0; 0,1; 0,5; 0,8% de NaCl y como matriz compleja queso fresco con un contenido de 0,5% de NaCl. Se utilizaron intervalos de presión entre 200 y 550 MPa (Mega Pascales) con tiempos de tratamiento cortos (en el orden de segundos a varios minutos), combinados con una temperatura inicial moderada de 20 a 50 °C. Los resultados de inactivación microbiana se ajustaron al modelo matemático que mejor describía el comportamiento de las curvas de inactivación, lo que permite predecir el comportamiento de los microorganismos frente a las HHP y bajo los diferentes factores. En cuanto a las HHP para R. glutinis y P. aurantiogriseum tratamientos en torno a los 350 - 400 MPa generaron más de 5 reducciones log10 de la carga inicial. La concentración de NaCl presente en el medio de referencia para estos dos microorganismos fue un factor adicional de control. Con respecto al efecto del medio de trabajo se observaron diferencias significativas (p<0,05) entre los valores medios obtenidos para el medio de referencia y la matriz compleja (queso fresco): el queso fresco presentó una menor reducción en la carga inicial inoculada.Debido a los procesos productivos de la fabricación del queso se genera gran cantidad de suero lácteo residual que es un problema bajo el punto de vista medioambiental. En esta tesis también se estudió la utilización del suero lácteo líquido residual en conjunto con aislados proteicos del suero (WPI) con la finalidad de producir geles con un elevado valor biológico mediante diversos procesos de HHP. Las diversas mezclas de suero de queso junto con los porcentajes de 5, 7, 11, 15% p/v de WPI procesadas por HHP dieron lugar a geles con diversas características. Los valores de pH, color (L*a*b*) variaron ligeramente dependiendo directamente tanto de la concentración de WPI como del tiempo de almacenamiento. Los valores de dureza y gomosidad sufrieron modificaciones dependiendo del medio líquido y la concentración de WPI. La utilización de suero de queso para la formación del gel favoreció la retención de agua, reduciendo significativamente la sinéresis en refrigeración.Este estudio muestra el potencial de las HHP como una medida de control, demostrándose la efectividad de estos tratamientos para prolongar la vida útil de los quesos frescos y como técnica no convencional para generar nuevas texturas que pueden tener gran inte / [CAT] La tecnologia de les altes pressions hidrostàtiques va emergir fa diversos anys com a resposta a l'interés dels consumidors per disposar de productes d'una qualitat organolèptica i nutricional major que la dels processats per calor tradicionalment. La indústria agroalimentària inicialment va millorar els seus processos de conservació per calor desenvolupant els tractaments continus HTST, UHT i l'envasat asèptic. No obstant això, malgrat aquestes millores els productes alimentaris conservats per calor continuen presentant pèrdues en la seua qualitat final.Tot i que al principi l'aplicació de les altes pressions hidrostàtiques en el camp de l'alimentació es va enfocar cap a la conservació, amb el desenvolupament de la tecnologia i la investigació al voltant d'ella han sorgit noves aplicacions que la fan molt interessant per al sector. En aquest context, l'objectiu de la present tesi doctoral ha sigut l'aplicació de les altes pressions hidrostàtiques en la conservació del formatge fresc i en la revalorització de subproductes de formatgeries. Per a això, s'avalua l'efecte dels tractaments per altes pressions hidrostàtiques (HHP) sobre microorganismes patògens (Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes) i alteradors (Rhodotorula glutinis, Penicillium aurantiogriseum, Pseudomonas fluorescens) de productes lactis i l'efecte de diversos factors presents als aliments (clorur sòdic (NaCl), temperatura inicial de tractament) sobre la inactivació microbiana. Per a estudiar aquest efecte es va utilitzar com a medi de referència aigua peptona a concentracions de 0; 0,1; 0,5; 0,8% de NaCl i com a matriu complexa formatge fresc amb un contingut de 0,5% de NaCl. Es van utilitzar intervals de pressió entre 200 y 550 MPa (Mega Pascals) amb temps de tractament curts (en l'orde de segons a diversos minuts), combinats amb una temperatura inicial moderada de 20 a 50 °C. Els resultats d'inactivació microbiana es van ajustar al model matemàtic que millor descrivia el comportament de les corbes d'inactivació, el que permet predir el comportament dels microorganismes front a les HHP i baix els diferents factors. En referència a les HHP per a R. glutinis i P. aurantiogriseum tractaments al voltant dels 350 - 400 MPa van generar més de 5 reduccions log10 de la càrrega inicial. La concentració de NaCl present en el medi de referència per a aquestos dos microorganismes va ser un factor addicional de control. Respecte a l'efecte del medi de treball es van observar diferències significatives (p<0,05) entre els valors mitjans obtinguts per al medi de referència i la matriu complexa (formatge fresc): el formatge fresc va presentar una menor reducció en la càrrega inicial inoculada. Degut als processos productius de la fabricació del formatge es genera gran quantitat de sèrum lacti residual que és un problema baix el punt de vista mediambiental. En aquesta tesi també es va estudiar la utilització del sèrum lacti líquid residual en conjunt amb aïllats proteics del sèrum (WPI) amb la finalitat de generar gels amb un elevat valor biològic mitjançant diversos processos de HHP. Les diverses mescles de sèrum de formatge juntament amb els percentatges de 5, 7, 11, 15% p/v de WPI processades per HHP van generar gels amb diverses característiques. Els valors de pH, color (L*a*b*) van variar lleugerament depenent directament tant de la concentració de WPI com del temps d'emmagatzematge. Els valors de duresa i gomositat van sofrir modificacions depenent del medi líquid i la concentració de WPI. La utilització del sèrum de formatge per a la formació del gel va afavorir la retenció d'aigua, reduint significativament la sinèresi en refrigeració.Aquest estudi mostra el potencial de les HHP com a una mesura de control, demostrant-s'hi l'efectivitat d'aquestos tractaments per a prolongar la vida útil dels formatges frescos i com a tècnica no convencional per a generar noves textures que poden tindre gran interés / Torres Bello, EF. (2016). Efecto del tratamiento por altas presiones hidrostáticas (HHP) en la calidad de queso fresco y en las proteínas de suero de queserías [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/72866 / TESIS