The use of pulsed light in a hurdle preservation strategy

Abstract

The growing consumer demand for safe foods with improved quality has stimulated interest in alternative technologies for preservation. Among these technologies, pulsed light (PL) is a rapid, low-energy technique which imposes low thermal damage to a product while inactivating food microorganisms. It is however limited to treatments of very transparent liquid foods or surface treatments for foods and food packages, though it can be combined with other hurdles to increase its effectiveness. This chapter provides an up-to-date summary of published findings on the efficacy of PL technology combined with other traditional and emerging hurdles used in a wide variety of foods. Application challenges and research trends in the near future are also considered. It is concluded that much progress has been achieved in this field in recent years. These achievements paved the way for the future industrial-scale application of PL combined with other technologies in the preservation of foods.