Protease stability in bovine milk under combined thermal-high hydrostatic pressure treatment

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) is an emerging technology that has been successfully applied as a minimal process for a variety of foods. Although the potential for the use of HHP treatment as an alternative method to heat treatment of milk was proposed almost a century ago, the suitability of this innovative technology to extend the shelf-life of milk hinges not only on its ability to inactivate pathogenic vegetative microorganisms but also on its effectiveness to inactivate indigenous and endogenous enzymes. This work examines the combined effects of temperature, pressure and homogenization on the protease (exogenous enzyme from B. subtilis) activity in milk. Inactivation of protease could extend the shelf life of milk.