Fruit and vegetable preservation process

Abstract

An HPP method for preserving a food item such as a fruit or vegetable may include the steps of: (a) placing a prepared fruit and/or vegetable in a container having a capacity less than about two gallons; (b) filling the container with a pH modifying solution or sauce to establish a pH in the container in the range of about 2 to about 6, and preferably about 4; (c) dearation; (d) sealing the container; and (e) applying pressure to the container in the range of about 2,000 to about 120,000 psi, preferably about 90,000 psi, for a time period in the range of about 1 to about 20 minutes, preferably about 5 minutes at a temperature in the range not lower than freezing and not greater than about 230° F.

1 . A preservation process for fruits, vegetables, and combinations thereof comprising the steps of:
 placing a food item in a package;   adding a pH modification medium to the package to achieve a combined pH for the product and medium in the range of about 2 to about 6;   establishing a liquid environment in the package to substantially fill any voids in the package;   sealing the package under 1 to 30 inches of vacuum;   subjecting the sealed package to a pressure in the range of about 2,000 to about 120,000 psi at a temperature in the range of about 32° F. to about 230° F. for a time period in the range of about 1 to about 20 minutes to sterilize the food item; and   depressurizing the sealed package.   
     
     
         2 . The preservation process of  claim 1  wherein the step of establishing a liquid environment in the package includes the step of minimizing the volume of any gas in the package. 
     
     
         3 . The preservation process of  claim 2  wherein the minimization step occurs under vacuum conditions. 
     
     
         4 . The preservation process of  claim 1  including the further step of preparing the food item for packaging by cleaning, washing, and, optionally dividing the food item into appropriately sized pieces. 
     
     
         5 . The preservation process of  claim 1  including the placing step includes the step of placing into the package at least one food item selected from the group of fruits, vegetables, and the like. 
     
     
         6 . The preservation process of  claim 1  further including the step of sealing the package in the presence of a vacuum. 
     
     
         7 . The preservation process of  claim 1  wherein the sealed package is subjected to a pressure in the range of about 70,000 to about 100,000 psi. 
     
     
         8 . The preservation process of  claim 7  wherein the sealed package is subjected to a pressure in the range of about 80,000 to about 90,000 psi. 
     
     
         9 . The preservation process of  claim 1  wherein the sealed package is subjected to a temperature in the range of about 35° F. to about 100° F. 
     
     
         10 . The preservation process of  claim 8  wherein the sealed package is subjected to a temperature in the range of about 35° F. to about 70° F. 
     
     
         11 . The preservation process of  claim 1  wherein the sealed package is subjected to a pressure for a time period in the range of about 1 to about 10 minutes. 
     
     
         12 . The preservation process of  claim 1  wherein the step of adding a pH modification medium includes the step of adding a brine solution to the package. 
     
     
         13 . The preservation process of  claim 12  wherein the step of adding a pH modification medium includes the step of adding solution including a food grade acid. 
     
     
         14 . The preservation process of  claim 13  wherein the step of adding a brine solution to the package includes adding a solution of water, salt, sugar, flavor, and a food-grade acid. 
     
     
         15 . The preservation process of  claim 1  wherein the step of adding a pH modification medium includes the step of adding a tomato-based sauce. 
     
     
         16 . The preservation process of  claim 1  wherein the step of adding a pH modification medium includes applying a medium with a pH of about 4.