Non-thermal bacterial inactivation with dense CO(2).

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Microbiology
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Thermal processing is widely used for microbial inactivation but can degrade food quality.
• Carbon dioxide (CO2) under pressure (dense CO2) has demonstrated antimicrobial properties since the 1950s.
• Recent years have seen a resurgence in interest in dense CO2 for non-thermal food processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current knowledge on the potential of dense CO2 for microbial inactivation.
• To summarize the state-of-the-art in dense CO2 technology for cold pasteurization and sterilization.
• To discuss inactivation mechanisms and practical applications.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and synthesis of existing research on dense CO2 applications.
• Analysis of data concerning microbial inactivation in simple suspensions and complex media.
• Discussion of equipment and process parameters for dense CO2 treatment.

Main Results:

• Dense CO2 is a viable non-thermal technology for pasteurization and sterilization.
• It is effective against a wide range of microorganisms in both liquid and solid substrates.
• The technology has shown potential to partially or fully replace thermal processing.

Conclusions:

• Dense CO2 presents a significant opportunity as a sustainable and effective non-thermal processing method.
• Further research into inactivation mechanisms will optimize its application.
• Growing scientific and economic interest indicates a promising future for dense CO2 technology.