The 11th Chromatography National Meeting took place from the 9th to the 11th of December at the Hotel dos Capuchos in Caparica. On this occasion, the team of researchers took the opportunity to present the first results in relation to the conservation of algae using high pressure processing (HPP). In the study "The Impact of High-Pressure Processing on the Volatile Organic Compounds Profile of Codium tomentosum Seaweed”, the impact of pressures of 400 and 600 MPa on the profile of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was evaluated, in addition to how these behave over time.
The main conclusions of the poster were that VOCs remained stable during a storage period between 30 and 90 days, what implies that in a greater extent the microbial activity, enzymatic and autoxidative reactions were avoided. Some artifacts (specially oxidized compounds) were formed when seaweeds were processed at 600 MPa. Despite this, shelf-life was specially extended when higher pressures were applied. The study was able to prove that HPP is a good technique to preserve fresh seaweeds maintaining sensory qualities.
To view the presented poster, click here.