Food Manufacturing

(FMP) process, which optimized the PEF technique for liquid and semiliquid media.

Delivering Quality
In fresh juice production the FMP
cells are subse-
quently unable to
divide, replicate
and cause decay.
This is crucial
to the effective
application of
PEF technology
in juice process-
ing, as yeast and
other microor-
ganism death
is the primary
cause of quick
spoilage in fresh
juices.

Wageningen University's 6,000 students are involved in a broad range of food processing and nutritional research to benefit public health and the food manufacturing industry across the Netherlands, Europe and the world.

ensure pathogens did not make it into the company’s juices.

After significant testing of the FMP processes on its juice products, Hoogesteger found no deviation in nutrition, flavor, quality or even vitamin concentration. A series of consumer focus groups attested to the consistency in taste between the traditionally produced and FMP-treated products. According to the company, the resultant product is “biochemically the same” as fresh juice.

And, in the end, Hoogesteger benefited from a shelf life that tripled to 21 days without the use of additional preservatives or pasteurization. This has allowed Hoogesteger to work on expanding its reach beyond Holland to the rest of the Europe.

The Future of PEF in

Juice Processing
While Hoogesteger and

Wageningen have done the heavy lifting to bring an innovative processing technique like this to market, the benefits of such a method could easily be implemented by U.S. and other international companies. Through its approved HACCP guidance for juice processors, the U.S. FDA has even approved the processes for use by U.S. companies.

Innovation truly is the engine of growth, and in many cases, it also drives us toward sustainability and quality, as in the case of Hoogesteger’s FMP process. Balancing growing consumer demand for healthy, quality food with the logistical and processing concerns faced by manufacturers will continue to be one of the greatest challenges in the food and beverage industries, and new techniques and open innovation can help processors overcome it. ◆

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