ADAMA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSTY

SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL AND CHEMICAL,MATERIALS ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

ASSIGNMENT OF FOOD PRESERVATION AND PAKAGING

ASSIGNMENT TITLE:HURDLE TECHNOLOGY

NAME: Mequanint wale Submitted to mr shewarega

Submitted date april/18/2016

ID :Ugr/17365/11
 HURDLE TECHNOLOGY

1.0 Introduction

Hurdle technology is a concept that was developed to address the consumer demand for more
natural and fresh foods. It is an intelligent combination of hurdles which secures the microbial
safety and stability as well as retains the organoleptic,nutritional quality and economic viability of
food products.Some of the hurdles such as temperature (high or low), water activity (aw),
preservatives (nitrite, sorbet), competitive microorganisms (lactic acid bacteria) and acidity (pH)
have been empirically used for years to stabilize meat, fish, milk and vegetables. Various novel
hurdles that are being applied in various food products includes Nano-thermo- sonication, ultrahigh
pressure, photodynamic inactivation, modified atmosphere packaging of both non-respiring and
respiring products, edible coatings, ethanol, milliard reaction products.The basic concept is to apply
combinations of existing and novel preservation techniques ("hurdles") in order to eliminate the
growth of micro-organisms. Hurdle technology has been developed to reduce the usage of
preservatives in foods and consists of the combined effect of hurdles to establish an additional
antimicrobial effect, thus improving the quality of the food.

1.1 Working Principles of Hurdle Technology

Conventional food preservation methods such as heating,chilling, freezing, freeze-drying, drying,

curing, salting,sugar-addition, acidification, fermentation, smoking or oxygen removal are used in
making food safe and stable (Leistner, 1992). The microbial safety, stability and sensory attributes
of many processed foods including traditionally processed depend on the combined effects of many
hurdles (Leistner, 2000). Different hurdles were combined smartly at lower levels to develop
preservation measures that are mild but very reliable (Leistner and Gorris, 1995). Hurdles
apply barriers (hurdles) such as heat, aw, irradiation,chemical, pH, competitive flora, etc.
simultaneously to contaminating microorganisms (Leistner, 2000). These barriers act synergistically
and induce injuries that are more severe than that of a single barrier. The microorganisms
required certain efforts to overcome each of the hurdles.More efforts will be required by
microorganisms to overcome the hurdles when they are many (Leistner and Gorris, 1995).
The most important factors used in the hurdle technology are the intrinsic factors (aw, pH, Eh, and
chemicals) the extrinsic factors (temperature of storage and gas atmosphere), and the processing
factors (heating, drying, fermentation) (Hamad, 2012). Novel physical factors such as hydrostatic
pressure, pulsed electric fields, ultrasound,ozone, pulsed light, and ultraviolet light, among others,
are now used to replace the deleterious processes such as thermal processing (Guerrero et al., 2017).
This technology plays an important role in the production of various ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook
stable products (Tripathi et al.,2011).Understanding microbial cell physiology and growth
requirements play an important role in choosing the right hurdle combination that will cause injuries
and death (Wordon et al., 2012). Food preservation methods are more concerned about the
physiology and behavior of microorganisms in foods viz. stress response, homeostasis and
metabolic difficulties. The novelty of the multi-target food preservation approach based on a clear
understanding of the physiology and behavior of contaminating microorganisms (Leistner, 2000).
Hurdle technology also advocates the deliberate combination of existing and novel preservation
techniques in order to establish a series of preservative factors (hurdles) that any microorganisms
present should not be able to overcome.The most important hurdles commonly used in food
preservation are temperature (high
or low), water activity (aw) (see Colligative Properties), acidity (pH), redox potential
(Eh), preservatives (nitrite, sorbate, sulfite, etc.), and competitive micro-organisms (e.g.,
lactic acid bacteria). More than 60 potential hurdles for foods of animal or plant origin,
which improve the microbial stability and/or the sensory quality of these products, have
been already described, and the list of possible hurdles for food preservation is by no
means complete. At present, physical, non-thermal processes (high hydrostatic pressure,
oscillating magnetic fields, pulsed electric fields, light pulses, etc.) receive considerable
attention (see Nonthermal Processing), since in combination with other conventional
hurdles they are of potential use for the microbial stabilization of fresh-like food
products, with little degeneration of nutritional and sensory properties. Another group of
hurdles, of special interest in industrialized and developing countries at present, would
be ‘natural preservatives’ (spices and their extracts, lysozyme, chitosan, pectine
hydrolysate, etc.). In most countries, these ‘green preservatives’ are preferred because
they are not synthetic chemicals, but in some developing countries, they are given
preference, since spices are readily available and cheaper than imported chemicals.
The critical values of many preservative factors for the death, survival, or growth of
micro-organisms in foods have been determined in recent decades and are now the basis
of food preservation. However, the critical value of a particular parameter changes if
additional preservative factors are present in the food. For instance, it is well known that
the heat resistance of bacteria increases at low aw and decreases at low pH or in the
presence of preservatives, whereas low Eh increases the inhibition of micro-organisms
due to reduced aw. The simultaneous effect of different preservative factors (hurdles)
could be additive or even synergistic. In food preservation, the combined effect of
preservative factors must be taken into account, which is illustrated by the hurdle effect.

1.2 Applications area of hurdle technology

One major use of hurdles is to prevent or restrict the growth and/or to reduce the concentration of
microorganisms, including target pathogens in milk, intermediate and final milk products. Most
milk products need the use of hurdles to become safe and suitable and/or to retain such quality.
Hurdle technology means combining various bacteria-inhibiting or bacteria-killing factors (some of
the 'hurdles,' e.g., are salt, reduced pH, reduced water activity, heat treatment, and appropriative
packaging) to achieve a safe product with acceptable shelf life and an acceptable taste and
consistency.For every microbiologically stable and safe food, a certain set of hurdles is inherent,
which differs in quality and intensity, depending on the particular product. In any case,the hurdles
must keep the ‘normal’ population of micro-organisms in the food under control. The micro-
rganisms present (‘at the start’) in a food should not be able to overcome (i.e., ‘leap over’) the
hurdles inherent in this food. This is illustrated by the so-called hurdle effect, which is of
fundamental importance for the preservation of foods, since the hurdles in a stable product control
microbial spoilage and food poisoning as well as desired fermentation processes.
 Advantages of hurdle technology
The greatest advantage of hurdle technology is tendency to conquer the ability of micro-organisms
in developing resistance to conventional preservation methods because in combine technology
different preservative acts synergistically by hitting different targets within the cell
of the spoilage micro-organism.Hurdles are use at lower concentrations this prevent the undesired
side effects, lower production cost and save energy.Another advantage is the opportunity of using
natural preservatives in combination with synthetic preservatives, this also lower the risk associated
with using synthetic preservatives at high concentration.
 Possibility of increasing shelf-stable foods; because food preserved by combined methods
(hurdles) remains stable and safe even without refrigeration, and is high in sensory and nutritive
value due to the gentle process applied. (FOA, 2006).
Disadvantages
high cost, high level of preservatives required, and high amount of antimicrobials additives.

Economic prespactive of hurdle technology

Hurdle technology is a concept that was developed to address the consumer demand for more
natural and fresh foods. It is an intelligent combination of hurdles.In order to be able to study the
economics of the process before it can be recommended to the farmers, a small basic processing
plant capable of handling a variety of fruits and vegetables like pineapple, tomatoes, ginger, kiwi,
and oranges was set up.