Applications in Industrialized Countries

Abstract

The deliberate and intelligent application of hurdle technology started in the mid-1970s in Germany (Leistner, 1978) and was first used for the preservation of meat products (Leistner, 1985). Soon this concept was employed for a variety of food items in industrialized as well as in developing countries. The popularity of hurdle-technology foods was favored by modern food habits, especially the trends to minimally processed and convenient foods, and the desire for microbiologically safe and stable foods which at the same time are fresh-like, tasty, and nutritious. According to Ohlsson (1994), the term “minimally processed” covers a wide range of methods and technologies for preserving foods that induce a minimum change in the fresh-like quality characters of the food. Minimally processed foods are the response of the food industry in the direction of evolving consumption patterns. The demand for “reduced” and “light” products represents a major consumer trend aimed at lowering the caloric content or the fat, sugar, or salt contents of the foods; some additives might be removed and replaced by natural ingredients to make more natural or fresh-like products (Ohlsson, 1994). There is a strong need from food processors for new or improved mild preservation methods that allow the production of fresh-like, but stable and safe foods; and the application of hurdle technology is an attractive option (Leistner & Gorris, 1995). In this chapter, topical applications of hurdle technology in industrialized countries used in the decontamination of raw material for fermented foods, heated foods, chilled foods.