Holmach Ltd and UHDE GmbH showcase the health benefits of HPP

With the UK demand for vitamin shot drinks soaring, consumers have to trust that the concentrated bottles of fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices that they’re investing in for their personal wellbeing really are as nutritional as claimed.

With reports stating that most produce loses around 30% of nutrients three days after harvest, good quality ingredients aren’t enough. Production timelines and the processes used for capturing the benefits of these natural treasures are imperative to ensure that products live up to their health claims, whilst still having retail friendly shelf-lives.

Holmach Ltd and UHDE GmbH are shedding the spotlight on High Pressure Processing as best practice for the manufacture of wellness shots. Heat based processing isn’t suitable for vitamin shots due to the risk of cooking and/or thermal destruction of enzymes or vitamins. HPP as an alternative is a cold based preservation technique.

During the HPP process, shots are treated in their final sealed packaging meaning that there’s no risk of contamination and no need for costly aseptic processing solutions.

In a high-pressure vessel that’s filled with water, the bottled product is subjected to a pressure of 6,000 bar which is roughly the equivalent to the weight of three jumbo jets acting on an area the size of a smartphone.

Under these enormous forces the molecules are pressed closer together. This mainly affects long-chain proteins; covalent bonds are resistant to these pressures. The result is that the membrane permeability of vegetative microorganisms is affected so they are denatured. In contrast, short-chain proteins are virtually unaffected, so flavours and vitamins are preserved virtually in their original condition.

Within the HPP process modifications can be made to ensure positive organoleptic properties for the consumer. As an example, enzymes can be inactivated to prevent the discolouration of fruit products, ensuring that the final product retains its ‘freshly made’ taste, appearance and texture.

The final product shelf-life is driven by the ingredients but as a guide, an intensive ginger and lemon shot drink is likely to achieve a shelf-life of three months without compromising on its fresh and natural taste. Beyond shelf-life extension, HPP is an ecologically pure method as no further preserving agents or chemicals are used. It’s also a sustainable solution using approximately 15 kWh’s of electricity per cycle, whilst recycling the water for multiple batches.

To find out more about HPP and UHDE’s market leading technology solutions, contact Holmach on 01780 749097 or email info@holmach.co.uk.