Homogenization of Milk and its Substitutes by High Pressure Technologies: A Systematic Review

Abstract

This review shows an analysis of the most recent studies on the applications of high pressures for homogenization processing of milk and its substitutes (milk alternatives from vegetable origin). In the production of beverages, conventional thermal processes are traditionally applied for its treatment and sanitization, thus causing an alteration in its composition. The search for innovative technologies for food processing is the main reason that has led to the use of high pressures, in this process the food does not lose its nutritional composition and its organoleptic characteristics, in addition, microbial activity is eliminated. Selected investigations in the last 11 years show that ultra-high pressure (UHPH) and high pressure homogenization (HPH) are applied in milk of animal and vegetable origin. Therefore, the application of high pressure is an interesting alternative that ensures quality and food safety. For this, a correct search of the articles was carried out by following the PRISMA methodology where the literature was selected following inclusion and exclusion criteria, it was search in reliable sources such as: Scielo, Redalyc, ScienceDirect and the google scholar meta search. In the selected investigations, promising results have been shown, where the high pressure homogenization technology promotes the physical stability of the product, reduction of the particle size, decrease of the microbial load and change in the protein structure.