Abstract: A product containing a food product and a bioactive culture, and a treatment process for preserving a food or food product against microbiological contamination, which improves the quality of such food and enhances the safety of food and food products. The process applies a bioactive culture to the food and utilizes a pressure treatment process, optionally with a controlled atmosphere, to provide a reduction of the level of microorganisms, spores, or enzymes on and in foods or food products and suppress growth of pathogenic organisms that are not fully killed in the treatment process. The food or food product is generally contacted with the gas under pressure conditions for a time sufficient to substantially sanitize or disinfect the food or food product following depressurization.

Abstract: A method for treating food is disclosed. The method comprises placing the food in a treatment container maintained at an ambient process temperature and pressure. Next, the gas mixture is injected into the treatment container. The gas mixture comprises about one percent oxygen and about 0.2 to 99 percent of a second gas comprising one gas selected from the group consisting of NO, N2O, He, H2, CO, CO2, N2, and Noble Gas (e.g., Ar, Kr, Xe, and Ne). The gas mixture is subjected to a treatment temperature and treatment pressure of the gas mixture in the container at a level sufficiently great that at least one gas in the gas mixture is maintained in the supercritical state. The treatment temperature and treatment pressure are maintained for a duration. The food is then ready for packaging.

Abstract: A treatment process for preserving a food or food product against microbiological contamination, which improves the quality of such food and enhances the safety of food and food products for consumption by mammals, especially humans. The process utilizes a treatment of food or food products, or packaged food or food products, with a high pressure gas treatment process (HPP) to provide a reduction of the level of microorganisms or spores on and in such foods or food products. The method includes exposing the food or food product to a gas and/or injecting a gas into a container containing the food or food product; optionally, closing or sealing the container; and subjecting the food or food product and/or the container containing the food or food product to a temperature of less than about 50° C. and, concurrently, to more than one pressure treatment cycle at a pressure of at least about 10,000 psig.