# High Pressure and Pasteurization Effects on Dairy Cream +
## 4 Conclusions  
The present study evaluated the feasibility of using HPP for the nonthermal pasteurization of raw dairy cream as an alternative to the conventional heat-based pasteurization processes. HPP samples were still microbiologically acceptable by the 51 st day of refrigerated storage, unlike thermally processed ones, which clearly highlights the use of this nonthermal technology to extend the shelf life of dairy cream. For the effect of HPP on inoculated microorganisms, even though HPP at 600 MPa for 15 min was able to reduce microbial loads to lower counts than 600 MPa for 5 min (at the beginning of the storage experiments), a similar microbiological development pattern was observed on both processing conditions by the end of the shelf life evaluation period, indicating that the inactivation effect is less likely to be dependent on processing time. In general, pH, color (maximum variation of \(\Delta\)E* up to 8.43), and fatty acids (mainly palmitic, oleic, and myristic acids) were not considerably changed by the different processing conditions and storage, while viscosity presented higher values (\(p\leq 0.05\)) for HPP samples (0.034 Pa\(\cdot\)s, at the 52 nd day). Furthermore, VOCs of all treated samples presented a tendency to increase throughout storage, particularly acids and aliphatic hydrocarbons. From a practical point of view, commercial (heat pasteurized) refrigerated dairy cream usually presents a shelf life <3 weeks. This shelf life could be considerably extended by at least 30 days using HPP, without major changes in the products' quality, clearly evidencing the potential of this nonthermal technology for dairy cream pasteurization. Indeed, these results open the possibility of using HPP for the nonthermal pasteurization of dairy products, such as fresh cheeseses, dairy creams, and even milk, either for retailing or using as food ingredients, as the extended shelf life can not only increase food safety but also reduce food waste. The following supporting information can be downloaded at [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/foods12193640/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/foods12193640/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/foods12193640/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/foods12193640/s1)), Table S1: Variation of pH and color throughout different storage (4 \({}^{\circ}\)C) days of raw cream (initial) and after submitting to the different treatment conditions (heat, 450/ 5 and 600/5). Results are presented as mean \(\pm\) standard deviation. Different letters represent statistical differences (\(p\leq 0.05\)) between storage days for each condition (A,B) and treatment conditions for each storage day (a,b); Table S2: Variation of pH and color throughout different storage (4 \({}^{\circ}\)C) days of raw cream (initial) and after submitting to the different treatment conditions (heat and 600/15). Results are presented as mean \(\pm\) standard deviation. Different letters represent statistical differences (\(p\leq 0.05\)) between storage days for each condition (A,B) and treatments conditions (heat and 600/15). Results are presented as mean \(\pm\) standard deviation. Different letters represent statistical differences (\(p\leq 0.05\)) between storage days for each condition (A,B) and treatment conditions for each storage day (a,b); Table S3: Cream fatty acid composition (% of total fatty acids) throughout different storage (4 \({}^{\circ}\)C) days of raw cream (initial) and after submitting to the different treatment conditions (heat, 600/5 and 600/15). Results are presented as mean \(\pm\) standard deviation. Different letters represent statistical differences (\(p\leq 0.05\)) between storage days for each condition (A,B) and treatment conditions for each storage day (a,b). **Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, F.M., R.V.D., C.A.P., and J.A.S. ; methodology, F.M., R.V.D., C.A.P., S.C. (volatiles and fatty acids), and J.A.L.-d.-S. (viscosity); formal analysis, F.M., R.V.D., C.A.P., S.C., and J.A.L.-d.-S.; investigation, F.M., R.V.D., and C.A.P.