New techniques for food preservation
The EC-funded SAFE ICE project evaluated numerous aspects of the high-pressure low-temperature processing approach. The overall aim is to expand the available knowledge base on this innovative process and provide the consumers with adequate information. Particular attention was paid to the possible effects of the methodology on food quality in terms of different parameters and overall safety. Project partners developed a series of mathematical models covering the freezing and thawing processes. This is a particularly new area of research with a series of innovative concepts and terms being defined by researchers within the framework of the SAFE ICE project. The partners defined the existence of pressure-dependent transition zones within the freezing and thawing processes. Furthermore, pressure-shift freezing and pressure-induced thawing were examined and clear transition and processing times were defined. Hence, this area of research underlines the importance of long-term safety in the food-processing sector, especially in the field of food preservation, quality and stability. Informing the public had been high on the agenda of the SAFE ICE project and the ultimate benefactor of the information collected was the consumer.