Hurdle technology may help extend shelf life

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Hurdle technology may help extend shelf life

14 Apr 2023

Maggie Glisan

Maggie Glisan covers consumer trends and emerging markets for the Commercial Baking media group. She spent the bulk of her 15-year career as the senior food editor at Better Homes and Gardens, where she was responsible for producing, writing and editing stories and developing recipes for the monthly magazine and special interest publications. Prior to that she worked as graphic designer and assistant art director in the Food Group at Better Homes and Gardens, where she took on an increasing role in content creation and editorial development.

KANSAS CITY, MO — Finding new ways to prolong the shelf life of bread and other baked goods while maintaining that just-baked taste and fresh-from-the-oven texture — not to mention peak nutritional value — is a challenging endeavor. But for bakers up for the tricky task, hurdle technology might unlock the key to success.

Hurdle technology utilizes a combination of mild, reliable food preservation techniques to combat microbial spoilage while maintaining a high level of product quality, safety and stability. Applying hurdle technology along with predictive microbiology and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles can optimize the food manufacturing and preservation process.

One might think of hurdle technology as an obstacle course for microorganisms, and it’s the job of the course designers — formulators, engineers and manufacturers — to create a series of hurdles that prevent any single microorganism from getting through to the end. This multi-targeted approach is an effective way to ensure food safety and extend shelf life without sacrificing product quality.

Keep in mind, this is a relatively new concept. The term “hurdle” was coined by professors Lothar Leistner and Grahame Gould in 1976. The phrase “hurdle technology” was later derived by Leistner in 1985.

The method is still evolving as new technological advances are introduced, and there are significant benefits, especially in the baking industry, according to Kathy Sargent, senior director of technical services for Horsham, PA-based Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU).

“Any time you put a preventative measure in place to control mold or other microorganisms, you inevitably create some kind of damage, whether that’s to flavor, texture or nutrition,” Sargent said. “But by using multiple hurdles and approaches, you are able to scale everything back to a level that’s more manageable and collectively achieve all your .”

Another advantage is that bakers can prevent microorganisms from figuring out how to overcome their hurdles. Just like a flu strain, microorganisms evolve and develop resistance, but by implementing multiple hurdles, formulators can avoid that with one preservative map. Ultimately, they can also control quality and cost by using several approaches.

Ben Reusser, innovation center manager at Cain Food Industries, shared that one of the biggest advantages to implementing hurdle technology is extending a product’s shelf life.

“I like to think of hurdle technology as compounding interest, each new hurdle adds value to the previous hurdles,” he said. “By using a combination of processing controls, sanitation, standard operating procedures and mold inhibitors, you can create products that stay fresher for longer. Plus, when you use a combination of factors, there’s less reliance on one crucial processing step in the line — if that one step fails, you’re talking about higher customer complaints and possible recalls if it is a food safety issue. Hurdle technology helps mitigate that risk.”

Hurdles are categorized as physical, physico-chemical and microbial-derived, and each aims to eliminate or inhibit unwanted microorganisms. Commonly used hurdles include high or low temperatures (heating/baking or chilling/freezing), reduced water activity, oxidation reduction potential, increased acidity (low pH), preservatives (sorbates, nitrites, sulfites) and competitive floral (microbial fermentations).

The intensity of individual hurdles can be adjusted to meet different objectives.

When choosing which hurdles to implement, it’s critical to consider all the steps in the process, from ingredient sourcing, manufacturing and packaging to individual product attributes.

“Anything that’s occurring that would theoretically make it more difficult for a microorganism to grow could be a hurdle — whether that’s inside the product or outside,” said Daniel Unruh, senior scientist at Corbion.

Each product has intrinsic properties that are key to understanding its behavior in terms of shelf life. For example, a baked good with high water activity will require significantly different hurdles than one with low water activity.

“When you think about baked goods, products like crackers and biscuits are low moisture and have low water activity, so you don’t need nearly as many hurdles or mold inhibitors like bread does,” Reusser said. “Bread, tortillas, buns on the other hand … those all are very high moisture and have high water activity. They also have a lot of surface area, which essentially creates a petri dish for mold to grow. Those types of products in particular really benefit from multiple hurdles.”

This story has been adapted from the February | Q1 2023 issue of Commercial Baking. Read the full story in the digital edition.

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