New Study Says High Pressure Processing Reduces Pathogens in Cold Brew Coffee

MIAMI — Hiperbaric, a distributer of equipment with High Pressure Processing (HPP) technology, published the results of a study demonstrating the effectiveness of HPP for cold brew coffee. Conducted in partnership with the University of Burgos – Spain, the study confirms HPP achieves substantial reductions in pathogenic bacteria while maintaining the fresh flavor and quality that consumers desire in cold brew coffee.

The cold brew was made from a commercial blend of medium-roasted Arabica and Robusta ground coffee. Samples were inoculated with high levels (7.0-7.4 log CFU/ml) of three major foodborne pathogens, E. coli, Listeria, and Salmonella, and subjected to high-pressure processing at 6,000 bar for three minutes, representative of commercial HPP treatment.

HPP achieved a greater than 6-log pathogen reduction below detection limits, with no regrowth detected throughout the 90-day refrigerated storage, proving HPP an effective kill step for enhancing safety of ready-to-drink cold brew coffee.

Beyond food safety, the study demonstrated HPP causes minimal changes to cold brew coffee's smooth flavor, subtle acidity and overall quality. Key attributes like color, bioactive compounds, dissolved solids, pH and antioxidant activity were unchanged by HPP and remained stable during more than three months of refrigeration.

“HPP's ability to deliver unprecedented reductions in pathogens while protecting delicate flavors makes it an ideal pasteurization technology for today's cold brew coffee market,” said Dr. Carole Tonello-Samson, vice president of business development, Hiperbaric.

Dr. Mario Gonzalez, HPP food applications specialist, Hiperbaric, added, “Our latest findings provide definitive validation of HPP for enhancing the safety and quality consumers now expect from their favorite cold coffee drinks.”

The full study is published in the journal Foods, titled, “High Pressure Processing (HPP) for Cold Brew Coffee: Safety & Quality Assessment Under Refrigerated and Ambient Storage.”