The University of Georgia’s Food Product Innovation and Commercialization Center (FoodPIC) in Griffin is set to install a 55-liter high-pressure processing (HPP) system this fall, expanding its capabilities to help Georgia food producers, processors and entrepreneurs develop safer products with longer shelf lives.

V.M. “Bala” Balasubramaniam, Koehler-Ayres Professor of Food Process Engineering in the UGA Department of Food Science and Technology (FST), is partnering with FoodPIC and other FST faculty to bring HPP capabilities to Georgia’s food industry.

HPP is a food preservation method that uses intense water pressure rather than high heat to inactivate harmful microorganisms. The technology can extend the shelf life of certain packaged foods and beverages while helping preserve their fresh taste, texture and nutritional quality.

Through his research and industry partnerships, Bala helps Georgia food processors adopt technologies like HPP, providing scientific expertise and support for food safety testing needed to bring new products to market.

Fresh, safe and clean-label appeal

Unlike shelf-stable canned products, foods treated with HPP generally require refrigeration throughout distribution and storage to maintain food safety and quality, which naturally aligns with consumer preferences for fresher, refrigerated foods.

“It’s preserving the natural freshness of a product without compromising on the nutrients,” said Bala, faculty in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Clean-label appeal is another major advantage, Bala explained. As consumers increasingly seek out foods made with familiar ingredients, HPP allows manufacturers to reduce reliance on additives and preservatives.

Explaining the technology, Bala said many consumers are already familiar with pressure systems through household pressure cookers. While industrial HPP systems operate at around 87,000 pounds per square inch — compared to roughly 15 to 30 psi in a household pressure cooker — the comparison helps illustrate the intensity of the pressure used in HPP.

Unlike household pressure cookers, which rely on both heat and pressure, conventional HPP uses intense water pressure without high heat to preserve food. Bala and FST colleagues are also exploring ways to combine high pressure with heat to inactivate bacterial spores, potentially allowing manufacturers to produce shelf-stable foods faster than traditional canning methods.

Creating new opportunities for Georgia agriculture

For Georgia’s agricultural industry, HPP offers opportunities to process more products locally rather than shipping raw commodities out of state.

“Georgia has a lot of agricultural products, including poultry, eggs, beef, dairy, peanuts, pecans, blueberries, fruits, and vegetables and even oysters and seafood, but many are sent as a raw product to other states for value-added processing,” Bala said. “New technologies, such as high-pressure processing, can help Georgia producers and processors to establish factories here, providing an additional economic impact for the state.”

By extending the shelf life of certain products, HPP can give businesses more time for shipping and distribution, potentially helping them reach new markets nationally and internationally.

Bala said the technology could be particularly valuable for small and mid-sized food businesses looking to develop innovative products and expand their markets.

A collaborative approach to food innovation

At UGA, collaboration between FST, FoodPIC and the Center for Food Safety (CFS) provides industry partners with expertise in food processing, food safety, microbiological testing and commercialization

FoodPIC Director Jim Gratzek leads a team that helps companies turn product concepts into market-ready foods through product development, pilot-scale production and commercialization support.

Bringing more than 30 years of food engineering research experience to UGA, Bala emphasizes collaboration between researchers and industry partners to continue advancing food processing technologies.

“The addition of this technology is an exciting advancement for FoodPIC and Georgia’s food entrepreneurs,” Gratzek said. “By combining Bala’s research expertise with FoodPIC’s product development capabilities, we can help businesses turn innovative ideas into market-ready products, from juices and sauces to meats and dairy products.”

The new HPP equipment will expand FoodPIC’s capabilities, while Bala’s ongoing work with CFS researchers, directed by Francisco Diez-Gonzalez, will help verify the technology’s effectiveness in controlling harmful microorganisms.

“I’m an engineer by training, but I’ve collaborated with chemists, microbiologists, polymer scientists, and experts from both academia and industry. These collaborations have allowed us to develop a more comprehensive understanding and develop an industrially relevant process,” Bala said.