Hyperbaric Storage of Food: Applications, Challenges, and Perspectives

Hyperbaric storage (HS) is a developing food preservation technology based on the application of moderate hydrostatic pressure. Having a quasi-zero energetic cost, this technology has been proposed as sustainable alternative to refrigeration. However, despite HS was conceived in 1972, it has not attracted interest of researchers and industries until few years ago. Hence, literature, technical knowledge, and working unit design are still lacking. The purpose of the present review is to provide an overview on hyperbaric storage, highlighting its potentialities as a sustainable food storage technology. Moreover, process constraints and unexplored applications of HS conditions are envisaged. Finally, critical aspects that still need to be investigated are highlighted to provide the foundations for future research. The review of the literature indicates that HS is a promising technology, which could extend food microbiological stability and boost the metabolism of microorganisms involved in biotechnological processes, such as fermentations. HS also affects food matrix biomolecules, with particular reference to protein structures and activity, and lipid physical properties. In the investigated matrices (i.e. plant derivatives, meat, fish, and dairy products), HS produced minor sensory changes. On the other hand, lipid oxidation was significantly increased. Proteins and fat structure modification might be used to tailor food ingredient functionality, opening the way for pioneering HS applications. Nevertheless, still several issues, such as poor technical knowledge, scarcity of investigated food matrices, and lack of appropriate packaging solutions, need to be overcome to make HS industrially viable.