High Pressure Processing (HPP)

High Pressure Processing (HPP) for Food Safety and Quality

High Pressure Processing (HPP) is a non-thermal, post-packaging food safety technology that uses cold water and extreme pressure to inactivate harmful bacteria like Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli. Unlike traditional heat treatments, HPP preserves the natural taste, texture, and nutrition of food and beverage products — making it the preferred solution for clean-label brands and consumers.

HPP Core Benefits:

Food Safety & Consumer Protection
HPP is scientifically validated to deliver up to a 5-log reduction in foodborne pathogens, helping brands meet FDA, USDA, and global safety standards
Clean‑Label Preservation
HPP allows brands to remove artificial preservatives while maintaining freshness and quality.
Extended Shelf Life
HPP ennables 2–3x longer refrigerated shelf life, which helps reduce food waste, improve distribution efficiency, and open new markets.
Nutrient & Flavor Retention
HPP keeps vitamins, antioxidants, and bioactive compounds intact due to its non-thermal nature.
Sustainability & Waste Reduction
HPP uses only water and pressure in a sustainable process that aligns with modern clean-label and energy-efficient standards.

Why Universal Pure?

As the largest HPP service provider in North America, Universal Pure combines scale, expertise, and partnership to help brands succeed.

Nationwide Network: Multiple HPP facilities positioned near major food hubs.
Comprehensive Services: Beyond HPP, we support packaging, labeling, kitting, warehousing, and logistics.
Customer-Centric Partnership: We align with your goals to ensure safe, high-quality products reach consumers.
Decades of Experience: Our team has led the industry in food safety and innovation for more than 20 years.

How Does HPP Work?

High Pressure Processing graphic

This non-thermal pasteurization technique harnesses the power of extreme pressure (up to 87,000 psi – think the bottom of the ocean) to comprehensively crush and inactivate foodborne bacteria and other illness-causing, vegetative pathogens (E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes), molds and yeasts. In doing so, HPP also maintains the optimum attributes of fresh products over an extended shelf life without compromising the nutritional value of the food.

HPP Product Requirements

Because of the nature of the HPP process, products must meet specific requirements to guarantee product safety and quality.

In addition to HPP Validation Testing, the following are minimum product requirements to be considered for HPP applications:

PACKAGING

Due to the extreme pressure, product packaging must have the ability to give with the force of the water. This means no metal or glass, but plastic works great.

WATER CONTENT

Water content allows the product to move and obsorb some of the pressure, but dense, dry products cannot withstand pressure and may be crushed.

REFRIGERATION

In order to maintain product integrity, products that undergo HPP must remain at specified temperatures throughout the process and up to consumption.

HPP Product Applications

As HPP gains popularity, the variety of product categories continues to grow. Manufacturers and retailers are becoming familiar with the technology, and as consumer preferences demand it, it will continue to gain momentum.