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High-Pressure Homogenization in Food Processing: Mechanisms, Applications, and Industrial Translation
Zhihua Li1, Youmin Zhang1, Yuhong Xue1
1Agricultural Product Processing and Storage Lab, School of Food Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China.
Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety
|August 8, 2026
Summary
High-pressure homogenization (HPH) is a versatile food processing platform. Its effectiveness depends on coupled factors like geometry and energy input, not just pressure, for optimal results.
Area of Science:
- Food Science and Technology
- Chemical Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- High-pressure homogenization (HPH) has evolved beyond size reduction into a versatile food processing technology.
- Existing reviews often focus on applications, overlooking the underlying physical processes.
- This review reframes HPH as an energy-dissipation and thermo-fluidic transport phenomenon at the valve scale.
Purpose of the Study:
- To reframe high-pressure homogenization (HPH) as a valve-scale energy-dissipation and thermo-fluidic transport process.
- To analyze the key factors governing HPH performance beyond nominal pressure.
- To provide insights for optimizing HPH applications in food processing.
Main Methods:
- Review of scientific literature published primarily between 2022 and 2026.
- Analysis of HPH performance based on coupled effects of process parameters and material properties.
- Focus on energy dissipation, thermo-fluidic transport, and hydrodynamic stresses.
Main Results:
- HPH performance is dictated by a complex interplay of valve geometry, energy input, residence time, deformation types, turbulence, cavitation, heating, and formulation.
- Optimal HPH effectiveness requires matching hydrodynamic stresses with formulation capacity, microbial factors, and matrix rheology.
- Benefits in liquid foods (stability, bioaccessibility, texture) plateau or decline with high viscosity, insufficient interfacial coverage, or protein aggregation.
Conclusions:
- Future HPH advancements require predictive, application-specific process design.
- Key areas for progress include CFD-informed valve selection, energy-normalized reporting, and thermal lethality assessment.
- Economic and regulatory validation, alongside pilot-scale comparisons, are crucial for translational value.
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