Present and Future of High Pressure Processing: A Tool for Developing Innovative, Sustainable, Safe and Healthy Foods

Dr. Francisco J. Barba is an associate professor in Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Valencia, Spain. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Valencia and degrees in Pharmacy, Food and Technology. He performed postdoctoral stays in the Université de Technologie de Compiègne (UTC), Département de Génie des Procédés Industriels, Laboratoire Transformations Intégrées de la Matière Renouvelable (Compiegne, France) and Marie Curie IEF in the Department of Food Chemistry (University of Copenhagen) to explore different non-thermal applications for preserving and extracting bioactive compounds from plant food materials and by products. Prior to his current appointment, he was also engaged as a visiting researcher in the Department of Food Biotechnology and Food Process Engineering in Technological University of Berlin, Germany. His research focus is on non-thermal processing for preservation and/or extraction of bioactive compounds from liquid and solid foods. He has authored approximately 200 peer reviewed papers in international food science and technology journals.

Dr. Carole Tonello-Samson is active industrial researcher with emphasis in High Pressure Processing (HPP) for food. She studied biochemistry and food technology in France. In 1996, she obtained a PhD in food science on the effects of HPP on inactivation of microorganisms. For five years, she was been R&D manager in a R&D centre focused on HPP for food (Hautes Pressions Technologies - France). For two years, she was Food Applications Manager at Digital Control – France where she focused on commercializing high pressure water jet cutting machines. Since 2003, she is Applications & Process Development Director at Hiperbaric (www.hiperbaric.com), a Spanish company designing, manufacturing and marketing HPP industrial machines for food. She is a member of the board of directors of the company.
She is in charge of the global scientific and technological support to HPP users. She works in collaboration with sales and marketing departments for commercialization of HPP in the global food industry, and with engineering department for R&D projects. She is the food science and commercial coordinator for Hiperbaric R&D projects supported by European Commission.
Dr. Tonello-Samson has been a member of the Executive Committee of the Nonthermal Processing Division (NPD) of the Institute of Food Technology (IFT) since 2007, as Member-at-Large, Secretary or Designed Officer. She has been NPD Chair in 2012-2013, and the recipient of the NPD Outstanding Volunteer Award in 2016. She is author or co-author of about twenty scientific articles and six book chapters on High Pressure Processing food applications and equipment.

Dr. Eduardo Puértolas is currently Researcher at AZTI (Spain) in the New Foods Department. He received his PhD in Food Science and Technology (Extraordinary Doctorate Award, Award for the Best PhD Thesis defended in Aragón Spanish Region) at the University of Zaragoza (Spain). His main area of research is the study, application and design of new processes based on emerging food technologies (e.g. high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed electric fields, high pressure homogenization) for new food development, food preservation, food quality improvement, and process optimizing (decreasing economic cost, increasing yield).

He has been involved in more than 20 research projects financed by Regional, National and European administrations (FP7, H2020, EIT Food, European Maritime and Fisheries Fund) leading 6 of them. During his work at AZTI, he has made a significant effort to transfer knowledge to companies, participating in more than 30 private R&D projects (leading 17) financed by both SMEs and Large Companies along Europe (Spain, France, Italy, UK, Germany, Croatia, Sweden, Norway). Author of more than 50 publications related to Food Science and Technology, including more than 35 peer reviewed papers and book chapters (hindex=23, SCOPUS).

Dr. María Lavilla has 15 years of experience in research in the field of Food Quality, Safety and Technology. She got her PhD in Food Science and Technology and DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, specialization in Bromatology) at the University of Zaragoza (Spain). From 2009, she works as Researcher at AZTI (Spain) in the group of Food Quality, Safety and Identity. Her current research activities are mainly focused in the isolation and characterization of microorganisms and their metabolites with interest for food production (e.g. Lactic acid bacteria and yeast) and the development of new strategies and tools for biological control of foodborne and spoilage pathogens (bacteriophages). She is also focused on performing Challenge tests for the validation of emerging technologies (high pressure processing, pressure assisted thermal processing, etc.) in commercial food products. Accordingly, she has been involved in more than 20 research projects financed by public calls of Regional, National and European administrations (FP6, FP7, H2020), leading 6 of them, and in more than 15 R&D projects (leading 10) with private companies.

As a result of this research, she is inventor in 4 patents, and author of more than 25 publications related to Food Safety and Food Technology, including peer reviewed papers, technical articles and book chapters, and more than 40 national and international congress contributions.