PM’s 10 best tech concepts for 2012
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A food-processing unit at Ohio State University subjects a fresh bell pepper to over 600 megapascals (6 000 bar) of pressure. Photograph by Brent Humphreys
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Happening now: Pascalisation
Pascalisation Louis Pasteur’s name is synonymous with food preservation, but it’s another long-dead French scientist, mathematician and philosopher whose research is changing the way we think about food: Blaise Pascal. Pascalisation, commonly known as high-pressure processing (HPP), is a method by which food is subjected to extreme water pressure – sometimes up to 5 500 bar – inside long, cylindrical metal chambers. This destroys living cells, including harmful bacteria such as E. coli and listeria, while leaving the texture and flavour of many foods surprisingly intact.
Read more about Pascalisation and other cool tech concepts in the February 2012 issue of Popular Mechanics - on sale now.
