Protein-based indicator system for detection of temperature differences in high pressure high temperature processing

Since the kinetics of change of target attributes in high pressure high temperature (HPHT) processing are not only pressure but also clearly temperature dependent, a control of temperature in space and time is indispensible. A tool that can easily detect temperature differences in prototype HPHT vessels during a HPHT process would aid the design of industrial HPHT equipments. In this work, the potential of ovomucoid as extrinsic, isolated, protein-based indicator to detect temperature differences inside a HPHT vessel was assessed. Ovomucoid fulfilled the selection criteria of a candidate indicator for HPHT. Solvent engineering was successfully used to shift the inactivation window of the candidate indicator into the HPHT processing window. Since, the dissociation equilibrium of buffer systems shifts under high pressure and/or under high temperature, a critical evaluation of the effect of a pH-shift of the selected phosphate buffer system in the context of protein-based indicator development was performed. The ovomucoid system inactivation kinetics were characterized under isobaric–isothermal conditions and modeled best by a first order inactivation model. A temperature dependent inactivation at constant pressure could be observed, which creates potential for the detection of temperature differences under HPHT conditions. These integrating properties were unaffected under dynamic, industrially relevant HPHT conditions.