High-pressure tech reaps high-flavour juice

Food and beverage manufacturing companies are constantly striving towards meeting consumer demands for new food and drink experiences, exciting flavours, healthier choices and convenient packaging.

In the past, most fruit juices were reconstituted, had preservatives added and were heat treated — which, although making juice safe to drink, can change the natural taste and colour of the juice and destroy some of its nutrients.

A small Victorian company, Preshafood, has worked with CSIRO to develop premium fruit juices that are pasteurised using high-pressure processing (HPP) instead of heat.

HPP technology

HPP is an emerging technology that uses very high pressures to kill yeasts, moulds and bacteria.

The technology has the potential to extend the shelf-life of chilled perishable products and provide improved safety, taste, texture, quality, fresh-like characteristics and nutritional value — without having to use chemical preservatives.

CSIRO has been at the forefront in the development and implementation of HPP technology in a range of product categories, such as juice, meat, poultry, seafood, fruit and vegetable products, meal solutions, dips and sauces.

The results

Preshafood began by manufacturing Preshafruit single-variety apple juices such as Pink Lady, Granny Smith and Royal Gala in distinctive, triangular-shaped bottles.

Thanks to HPP, the juices retain the taste, colour and fresh-like characteristics of fruit and can be stored for up to five times longer than other chilled juices.

The company has now expanded into seasonal juice blends, smoothies and vegetable juices, which are sold in supermarkets nationally. It is also increasing its sales in Asia, where the consumer demand for premium Australian food and beverages is high and there are still few similar-quality juice products competing with the Preshafruit juices.

The company, which began its life in CSIRO’s pilot plant in Werribee, has recently expanded its investment in HPP technology and is now the largest HPP operation in Australia.