The safety of food is taken for granted by consumers. The preservation of food via the process of pasteurization in autoclave pots, full-water immersion or shower type autoclaves or retorts is essential for this.
Pasteurization: What you need to know
- Inactivation of pathogenic germs to increase food shelf-life with complete preservation of nutrients via a core temperature of between 60 °C and 100 °C
- Systems should be validated once a year
- Warm-up phase
The water temperature is brought to the previously defined pasteurization temperature of +95 °C, for example, in an autoclave pot.
- Pasteurization
The pasteurization temperature is reached throughout the system and there is homogeneous temperature distribution. The process duration and pasteurization temperature vary depending on the product.
- Cooling phase
The product is removed from the autoclave pot and brought to room temperature. Depending on the product and system type, clean-in-place cleaning (CIP) is necessary to prevent the formation of micro-organisms in the system.
- Checking and regular verification as to whether the pasteurization process is effective
- Determination of the correct hold times/pasteurization temperatures and the P-value
- Measurement of temperatures at the coldest point in the process
- Correct placement of the data logger is crucial for ensuring the reliable killing of germs in the product
- testo 191 HACCP data logger system consisting of HACCP data loggers, software and multifunction case
- Measuring range -50 to +140 °C
- Small battery for placement in small containers
- A wide range of accessories allows optimal positioning of loggers for the core temperature measurement
- Simple calculation of P-value and holding phase by the software