HPP Equipment

High pressure pasteurization is a relatively straightforward process, but the equipment is fairly sophisticated. Fortunately HPP Los Angeles and its processing service can do the work for you.

Los Angeles has always embraced technology. From the 1920s when cinema pioneered the use of motion picture cameras to create what is known today as the film industry, to the revolution of the automobile, and the current crop of start ups populating our neighborhoods, our city remains at the forefront of innovation. Santa Monica and Venice are ripe with young tech companies. Meanwhile Culver City and even Downtown LA are experiencing a bit of a technology boom. Our city has always welcomed modernity in any industry. It was only a matter of time until the food industry caught up.

While traditional methods of processing food still exist, they’re gradually being surpassed. Some companies still rely on heat to pasteurize food. This can work in some instances, but by today’s standards, temperature is an almost primitive way to preserve and safeguard food. It was only a matter of time before technology caught up and introduced a new, effective way to handle food for consumers. Hence, the HPP revolution.

From the glamour of Hollywood to the laid-back chic looks of Santa Monica, Los Angeles appreciates aesthetic appeal as well as innovation, and HPP equipment fits right in. In addition to being more efficient than traditional methods of pasteurization, HPP process systems provide a sleeker, more hi tech solution. The machines are built for performance, but they also look good doing their job. They present a thoroughly modern way of packaging food, while maintaining its natural flavor and shelf life.

How HPP equipment evolved

Despite its contemporary flavor, HPP has been around in some form since the 1800s. Of course, back then using pressure to handle food was more conceptual than anything. The technology to build the equipment didn’t exist yet. Over time, the machine design slowly came together, but it wasn’t until much later that companies would see one in action.

In fact, the equipment wasn’t actively developed until the 1990s. Although our city was more known then for its shopping destinations like The Beverly Center and Third Street Promenade, it wouldn’t be long before its food processing companies would be using the sophisticated new HPP equipment, thus turning the page to the next chapter of technology innovation in Los Angeles. After 2000, food-packaging best practices started to change. HPP process systems were implemented not just here, but globally as well. The world was catching on.

What does the equipment do?

In a nutshell, HPP equipment makes our food safer while preserving its natural flavors and textures. This is actually a dramatic departure from other machines and previous packaging strategies. Whereas thermal pasteurization processes and chemical enhancements may have eliminated harmful pathogens, they also changed important characteristics of our food.

HPP machines accomplish more or less the same goal minus the undesirable side effects, which is great news for cuisine-obsessed Los Angeles. Whether you’re a fan of Culver City’s booming foodie scene or just sling Dodger Stadium’s famous hot dogs, good food is on everyone’s radar. Consumers expect it and make it a priority.

Fortunately, through HPP innovation, delivering quality, safe packaged foods to restaurants and food service operations is easily accomplished.

When companies use HPP Los Angeles’ equipment, quality and safety is guaranteed.

The process of pasteurization is fairly simple. HPP equipment accomplishes pasteurization in 4 stages:

Product loading

The first step in the process is simply loading the machine. It’s important to note here that HPP process systems require that the particular food in question be sealed previously. If, for example, you just placed an unwrapped slice of cheese in the machine, the process wouldn’t work. It needs a flexible, water-resistant container. Very soon after loading, the package is then subject to water pressure, so staying dry is a big priority. Otherwise, you risk undermining the whole process.

Vessel pre-filling

Once the sealed package is loaded into the vessel, it is then filled with water – cold water in particular. Cold water is necessary given the nature of the kinds of food for which HPP is ideal. Sliced meats, cheeses, and dips are good examples of HPP appropriate substances because they rely on chilled temperatures to thrive. This is why the process is sometimes also called “cold pasteurization”. It’s a way to distinguish it from thermal methods of preserving food.

Pressurizing

This stage is perhaps the most important part of the pasteurization process. After the vessel is filled with cold water, up to 87,000 psi (pounds per square inch) are applied to the food. If you have no context for that kind of figure, consider the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. If you’ve ever swam underwater near Hermosa Beach Pier or off Malibu, then you know that pressure quickly builds up as you dive deeper under.

HPP subjects food to a pressure that’s equivalent to 60 km deep (no ocean runs that deep!). Great amounts of pressure can be applied to the food in shorter bursts of time; by contrast, less pressure can accomplish similar goals over a longer stretch of 15 minutes.

The relationship of pressure and time is important. The two work together to denature food proteins, as well as strengthen important bonds within the food. Additionally, potentially harmful mold and bacteria is killed or de-activated. As a result, the food is rendered safe to eat.

Product unloading

The last stage of all HPP process systems is the same: unload the food for further handling. While HPP LA doesn’t provide this service, it’s important to highlight it as the final stage of an important process. During this stage, food is prepared and distributed to one of Los Angeles’ many great restaurants or supermarkets. Whether you shop high-end grocers in Brentwood, or frequent the local chain in Manhattan Beach, you simply can’t buy natural, HPP-prepared food unless it’s been processed, unloaded, quality-checked, and distributed to your destination.