Every year brings a growing demand from our partners in the food industry and consumers for safe, healthy, clean label and preservative-free products they can trust.
And the key to being able to meet those standards is finding the right food packaging technology, which often means using packaging that works with high-pressure processing (HPP) or pasteurization.
HPP can be used for many products, including juices and beverages, avocado products such as guacamole, deli meats, seafood, ready-to-eat meals, plant-based dips, salsas, baby food, and pet food.
For example, our partners, like Ithaca Hummus, Kite Hill, Field and Farmer, Bitchin’ Sauce, and more, require packaging options capable of withstanding high-pressure processing. HPP helps them maintain their products’ flavor, color, nutritional value, and shelf life in ways that traditional pasteurization can’t by killing food-borne pathogens with high pressure instead of heat, chemicals, or additives.
And even better, our partners don’t have to compromise on the look, quality, customization, or sustainability of their packaging. Airlite produces a full portfolio of premium polypropylene IML(in-mold labeled) and printed containers, all fully recyclable and labeled with vivid inks and lacquers suitable for high-pressure processing.
If you, or others in your organization, have questions on what HPP is, how it can help increase shelf life, or which packaging options support it, please read and share the below FAQs, or Contact Us directly.
What is HPP?
High-pressure processing, also known as high-pressure pasteurization, is a food and beverage preservation method that increases product shelf life through the use of high pressure, transmitted by water.
Why use High-Pressure Processing?
HPP makes it possible for clean label products to exist on store shelves. It is known for maintaining the flavors, nutrients, color, and texture of consumer-packaged goods, especially those considered clean label, better than heat pasteurization, with little to no preservatives.
Is all packaging compatible with HPP?
No. Many materials are too rigid and inflexible to withstand high-pressure pasteurization. This will cause the film seal to rupture, or cracking of the container, and the product will be lost. At Airlite, we have a large portfolio of products made from our proprietary polypropylene resin blends that are highly compatible with HPP. Polypropylene is flexible and can provide enough give under pressure that it maintains its’ shape without cracking. PP is also known for sealing exceptionally well to film seals, or lidding film. So contrary to PETE, PP containers going through HPP do not require an extra wide flange or seal surface.
What products are most commonly HPP’d?
In our rigid plastic packaging space, we most commonly see guacamole, hummus, salsa, and plant-based spreads and dips go through high-pressure processing. Juices, beverages, baby foods, seafood, and deli meats are other commonly HPP’d products packaged in flexible pouches and bottles.