Mexico and HPP: Avure’s shelf-life solution for Mexican processors

The ability of High Pressure Processing (HPP) to extend product shelf-life and effectively neutralize deadly bacteria will be a key focus for JBT Avure at the upcoming Mexican Healthy Products Summit 2022.

With food processors in Mexico and across Latin America dealing with ever-more stringent labelling regulations, many are seeking to move away from preservatives, but are faced with the dilemma of how to maintain extended shelf-life times.

HPP offers an answer. The innovative system, which subjects foods and beverages to extremely high water pressure (up to 6,000 bar / 87,000 psi – more than the deepest ocean), can extend shelf-life by up to 90 days: that’s as much as two or three times longer than traditional preservation methods.

Unlike thermal, chemical and other high-heat systems, HPP uses cold treatment technology developed by Avure itself in the late 1990s, which preserves food taste, texture and quality. Avure HPP machines are also highly effective in neutralizing listeria, salmonella, E. coli and other deadly bacteria.

The shelf-life challenge

For JBT’s Edmundo Romo, who will be speaking at the event, the Mexican Healthy Foods Summit offers an opportunity for Avure to educate the Mexican market on the benefits of HPP and the fact that suppliers are already available within the country.

“In Mexico, as with other regions of Latin America, the rules and regulations governing the labelling of food products have been changing with the aim of better helping consumers understand what they are eating and give them the option of being able to choose healthier foods,” he explains.

“As a result of the new labelling, many processors are reducing the amount of salt, sugar and preservatives in the products, but because of that, the shelf-life in many cases has been reduced considerably. With HPP, processors can achieve a longer shelf-life without the use of preservatives, while also benefiting from enhanced food safety, which is another one of the principal benefits of using HPP.”

Undeveloped potential

In Edmundo’s opinion, the Mexican potential for HPP has long been underdeveloped, but the impact of the labelling regulations could well encourage greater uptake among food and beverage processors. “Up until now, HPP has typically been used in Mexico for organic products which make a virtue of their natural origin,” he says.

“In fact, the principal HPP-treated product in Mexico – ready-to-eat guacamole – is primarily for exportation as Mexican consumers are more used to buying avocados and preparing guacamole at home. But as a consequence of the new labelling regulations, we expect to see it being adopted by more and more producers of products for daily consumption.”

JBT’s Edmundo Romo will be speaking at the Mexican Healthy Products Summit, which takes place in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico from June 2-4, 2022.

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