Society & Science: High Pressures for Innovative Pro-Health Foods

The report addresses quests related to innovative methods of food preservation in the context of the Industrial Revolutions epoch and the assisted population boost. Particular attention is paid to the High-Pressure Preservation/Processing (HPP) of foods that uniquely combine the pro-health expectations of 21st-century societies with the pro-environmental requirements of Sustainable Development. HPP technology also correlates with producers' and logistics' expectations due to the long period of fresh product quality preservation. Beneficial features of HPP technology and related physical foundations of high-pressure impact on foods are presented. HPP is related to “cold & high-pressure pasteurization” at near ambient temperature. This report also considers an innovative sterilization concept, linking colossal barocaloric effect (CBE) & HPP. It is related to compressing up to ~600MPa and high temperatures (90 C o − 120 C o ) controlled by the heat associated with CBE phenomenon. Further, the supplementary concept of ‘cold sterilization’ under medium-high pressures, supported by the reversed CBE, is presented.Finally, socioeconomic consequences of these unique technologies are discussed. They address 5th Industrial Revolution & Sustainable Development targets and expected new market niches.