Abstract

Dense phase CO2 (DPCD) is a non-thermal technology that can inactivate certain micro-organisms and enzymes at temperatures low enough to avoid the thermal effects of traditional pasteurization. This technology has been investigated over the past 50 years, particularly in the past 2 decades, and its effects on vegetative cells and spores of various microorganisms including pathogens, spoilage bacteria, yeasts, and molds, and various enzymes of importance to foods have been demonstrated. Many liquid foods retained fresh-like sensory, nutritional, and physical properties after DPCD treatment along with some solid foods. This paper is a review of mechanisms of microbial reduction, enzyme and spore inactivation, DPCD treatment systems and examples of applications with effects on quality attributes.

Keywords: Dense phase CO₂; Non-thermal pasteurization; Microbial inactivation; Enzyme inactivation;Quality