While consumers enjoy longer-lasting, more nutritious chilled foods in supermarkets, few realize these products may rely on a crucial technological innovation. Hiperbaric, the global leader in High Pressure Processing (HPP) technology, is now bringing this breakthrough to China as a springboard for innovation across Asia's food industry.
The company recently announced the official opening of its new sales office and pilot plant in Shanghai's Free Trade Zone. This strategic move marks Hiperbaric's formal establishment in the Chinese market and signals its ambitious expansion plans across Asia.
Shanghai HPP Incubator: Driving Commercial Applications
The newly established facility, named the "Shanghai HPP Incubator," focuses on promoting commercial applications of HPP equipment in food, pet food, and beverage industries. Equipped with advanced Hiperbaric 55 HPP systems, the incubator aims to provide product development and technical support for Asian food manufacturers.
HPP technology, also known as high-pressure pasteurization, represents a non-thermal food preservation method. By applying extreme pressure, it disrupts microbial cell structures to achieve sterilization while preserving food quality. Compared to traditional heat processing, HPP better maintains original flavors, colors, and nutritional content while extending shelf life. In pet food applications particularly, HPP enables production of preservative-free raw pet food that retains full sensory and nutritional properties, meeting growing consumer demand for natural, healthy pet nutrition.
Expert Leadership for Asian Market
To strengthen its Asian operations, Hiperbaric appointed Dr. Jizhou Lei, a food applications specialist with a bachelor's degree from Ohio State University and a master's in food science from Cornell University, to oversee the Shanghai HPP Incubator. His extensive expertise will provide regional clients with comprehensive technical support.
"This pilot plant represents a game-changing resource for Asian food, pet food, and beverage companies," stated Jorge Marraud, Director of Hiperbaric Asia. "By providing local access to our HPP technology and expertise, we're removing innovation barriers and helping companies bring safer, cleaner-label products to market faster than ever."
Hiperbaric CEO Andrés Hernando emphasized that the Shanghai incubator demonstrates the company's commitment to advancing food and beverage innovation across Asia. Under Dr. Lei's leadership, Hiperbaric has already initiated collaborations with multiple regional manufacturers to develop HPP product lines.
Global Market Dominance
Hiperbaric maintains a dominant position in the global HPP market, having installed over 400 HPP systems across 50 countries and five continents, capturing approximately 60% market share. Its client portfolio includes premium pet food brands such as Freshpet, Kiwi, Stella & Chewy's, Bravo, Primal, and Nature's Variety (parent company of Instinct).
The company first entered China in 2009 with its initial HPP installation. To date, Hiperbaric has secured over 12 contracts in China, accounting for about 23.5% market share.
"China's rapidly developing food industry and growing consumer demand for healthy products present tremendous opportunities for HPP technology," Hernando noted. "With our new Shanghai facility, we aim to achieve 45% market share in China within five years."
Technology Advantages and Limitations
Industry analysts observe that as Chinese pet owners increasingly prioritize natural, healthy pet food attributes, HPP technology has become crucial for premium brands seeking competitive differentiation. Hiperbaric's Shanghai expansion may accelerate HPP adoption in China's pet food sector and drive broader innovation across Asia's food industry.
The technology offers significant benefits:
- Superior preservation: Effectively eliminates microorganisms while preserving nutritional content and flavor profiles.
- Enhanced food safety: Significantly reduces pathogenic bacteria, lowering food safety risks.
- Improved product quality: Maintains better texture, color, and taste compared to thermal processing.
- Market responsiveness: Meets growing consumer demand for natural, long-lasting premium foods.
However, HPP technology presents some limitations:
- High equipment costs: Substantial initial investment may increase production expenses.
- Application constraints: Not universally effective for all food types, particularly structurally complex products.
- Energy intensive: Significant power requirements may elevate operational costs.
Despite these challenges, HPP technology's prospects remain promising. As the technology advances and costs decrease, broader adoption could deliver safer, healthier, and better-tasting food products to consumers worldwide.