Innovation is a key component in the growth and financial viability of the beverage industry globally.  New products and new processing technologies are moving into commercial operations at a tremendously fast pace in recent years.  Beverages, such as cold-brewed coffee and high pressure processed coconut water, have enjoyed a marked rate of success.  Among emerging technologies, high-pressure processing (HPP) and pulsed electric field (PEF) processing technologies have been identified by a recent survey of food industry professionals (industry, academia and government) as two of the most important developing technologies now and in the next 10 years in both Europe and North America.  This accelerated pace of innovation makes it challenging to keep up with the necessary scientific assessment of these products and technologies from a microbiological safety and stability standpoint.  Furthermore, long-standing and newly adopted regulations in the United States require careful validation of these technologies as predicated in the globally accepted HACCP approach to food safety.  This symposium aims to discuss some of this emerging products and technologies in light of microbial safety and stability concerns as well as presenting strategies to evaluate their safety and comply with pertinent regulations.

Presentations