Busting the myths about food pasteurisation

09 December, 2016

Myth 4: Pasteurisation requires a lot of energy

The amount of energy used in food pasteurisation is highly variable, depending on the process used, the nature of the material being treated and the heat exchanger used. The bulk of any energy requirement is used to raise the temperature of the foodstuff. Traditional pasteurisation units simply dump this heat afterwards, meaning they are incredibly wasteful and inefficient. Where possible, HRS heat exchangers recapture the heat and use it again, making them up to 70% more efficient than some traditional systems.

Myth 5: Pasteurisation equipment is high maintenance

The use of corrugated tubes, together with integrated cleaning-in-process (CIP) minimises the amount of fouling and therefore the amount of cleaning necessary to maintain the efficiency of HRS pasteurisation systems. The careful design of static tubes also helps the production (and therefore purchase) costs.

Myth 6: You cannot pasteurise viscous fluids

Subjecting viscous and non-Newtonian fluids, such as cooking sauces, to shear stress during the manufacturing process can damage the quality and texture of the material which may preclude the use of certain designs of heat exchanger for pasteurisation. However, by choosing a system such as the HRS Unicus scraped surface heat exchanger which prevents fouling while maintaining relatively low pressure, such unwanted effects can be overcome.

Myth 7: Pasteurisation is the same as sterilisation

Unlike sterilisation, pasteurisation does not completely eliminate microorganisms which may be present in the foodstuff. Pasteurisation reduces the microbial load by a significant factor (for example by 5-logs) which in normal circumstances reduces the level of contaminating pathogens to a level at which they do not pose a hazard.

* High Temperature, Short Time and Low Temperature, Long Time

** https://www.tycois.com/wps/wcm/connect/ab4fd1f4-4aa2-45a3-a4f1-b91b36539e0f/LT1000-02FoodDefenseWP_Part2_hireresDigital.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

*** http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/journals/2012/10/12/u/k/f/FD-Thought-Leader-v2_14.pdf

****http://www.stericycleexpertsolutions.co.uk/listeria-hysteria-contamination-risks-driving-food-recalls/

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