navigation bar image

Heat processing of packaged foods: guidelines for establishing the thermal process

CCFRA Guideline No. 56 (2008)
Back   Help
     To place an order, please open order window »

   then select price, enter quantity and click add to order

£60 CCFRA member price £90 non-member price
No. of Copies:

Ensure that your products receive an adequate heat process and that their safety and quality is optimised

Publications concerned with the heat processing of foods stress the importance of factory management and operatives strictly complying with scheduled heat processes, but there is limited coverage in technical publications of the details of procedures for monitoring heat transfer in products and the many considerations which must be taken into account to avoid errors. The personnel required to carry out heat penetration trials often do not have access to practical information on this subject.

Decisions on heat processing regimes are required for all new products, as well those in which there has been a change in formulation, manufacturing procedures or packaging type or shape. Routine checks on established lines are also good practice. This guideline addresses these issues, by focusing on the selection of heat process values, heat transfer characteristics, methods of evaluating processes and critical factors to consider when developing a heat processing regime. It is primarily aimed at in-pack (metal, glass or plastic) sterilised foods and drinks (both high- and low-acid), but many aspects can also be applied to pasteurised products. It will serve as a vital source of information for staff with limited experience of this type of work, and as a useful reference document for more experienced operatives.

Contents

Introduction

Selection of heat processes

  • Low acid foods
  • Pasteurisation
  • Microbiological loading

Heat transfer

  • Classification by heating characteristics
  • Conduction heating packs
  • Convection heating packs
  • Forced convection heating packs
  • Broken heating curves
  • Mixed convection and conduction heating packs
  • Cold point determination

Methods for evaluating processes

  • Temperature measuring systems
  • Microbiological methods
  • Enzyme-based time-temperature indicators
  • Pilot plant simulation
  • Choosing a validation method

Critical factors to consider when establishing a heat process

Post trial checks

Scheduling a heat process

  • Allowance for errors in temperature measurement systems
  • Safety margins
  • Modelling of heat processes
  • Documentation of scheduled heat process
  • Confirmation of heat processes for existing products

Softcover – 72 pages

ISBN: 978 0 907503 44 6





Search    Home