FOOD PROCESSING AND

PRESERVATION
PBS-FPP-311

2
HEAT PROCESSING OF FOOD

 Heat treatment remains one of the most important

methods used in food processing,

 Involves application of heat to food during processing

 Heat processing
 using steam or water

 using hot air

 using hot oils

 By direct or radiated energy

 By removal of heat
ADVANTAGES OF HEAT PROCESSING
 destroy or reduce microbial activity capability to
produce shelf-stable foods that do not require
refrigeration

 Destroy anti-nutritional factors (e.g. trypsin inhibitor

in some legumes)

 Improve the availability of some nutrients (e.g.

improved digestibility of proteins, gelatinisation of
starches and release of bound niacin)

 Reduce or destroy enzyme activity

 Improve palatability, taste, texture, flavor

 HEAT PROCESSING OF FOOD
Using Steam or Water

1. Blanching
2. Pasteurization
3. Sterilization
 BLANCHING
 It’s a mild intensity of heat processing
 Not intended as a sole method of preservation but as a
pre-treatment which is normally carried out between
the preparation of the raw material and later
operations (sterilisation, dehydration and freezing

 Exposes fruits/vegetables to boiling water or steam for

a short of time – submerge in water or steam followed
by cold water treatment

 Blanching serves a variety of functions, one of the main

ones being to destroy /stop enzymic activity in
vegetables and some fruits, prior to further processing.
BLANCHING
 Blanching is also combined with peeling and/or
cleaning of food to achieve savings in energy
consumption, space and equipment costs.

 A few processed vegetables, for example onions and

green peppers, do not require blanching to prevent
enzyme activity during storage, but the majority suffer
considerable loss in quality if blanching is omitted or if
they are under-blanched.

 To achieve adequate enzyme inactivation, food is

heated rapidly to a pre-set temperature, held for a pre-
set time and then cooled rapidly to near ambient
temperatures
 ADVANTAGES OF BLANCHING
1. Reduce surface microbial contamination - assists in
subsequent preservation operations

2. Softens vegetable tissues to facilitate into containers

3. Removing air from intercellular spaces prior to

canning - which increases the density of food

4. Inactivates endogenous enzymes – those that can

cause browning, wilting
 CAUTION IN BLANCHING
 Under-blanching may cause more damage to food than
the absence of blanching of does – heat (sufficient to
disrupt tissues) causes accelerated damage by mixing
the enzymes and their substrates
 During under blanching, only some enzymes may be
destroyed which caused activity of others and
accelerated deterioration

 Two heat resistant enzymes which are found in most

vegetables are catalase and peroxidase (more heat
resistant)
 Used as marker enzyme
 Absence of residual peroxidase activity indicate that
the other less heat resistant enzymes are destroyed
Methods of blanching
1. Hot water blanching
2. Steam blanching

- Both are relatively simple and

inexpensive
Hot water blanching
- There are a number of blanchers commercially available
each of which holds water at 70-100 degrees Celsius for
1-5minus
- Widely used is reel blancher;
- food enters a slowly rotating cylindrical mesh drum
which is partly submerged in hot water
- The food is moved through the drum by internal
flights. The speed of rotation and length control the
heating time
- Pipe blancher
- consists of continuous insulated metal pipe fitted with feed
and discharge ports. Hot water is recirculated through the
pipe and food is metered in. The residence time of food in the
blancher is determined by the length of the pipe and the
velocity of the water.
Steam blanching
- This is the most preferred method for foods with a large
surface area of cut surfaces area as leaching losses are
much smaller

- It consists of mesh conveyor belt that carries food

through a steam atmosphere in a tunnel. The residence
time of food is controlled by the speed of the conveyor
and the length of the and tunnel (15m long and 1-1.5m
wide)

- Water sprays at the inlet and outlet to condense

escaping steam
Steam blanching
- Food enter and leave blancher through rotary valves or
hydrostatic seals

- There is however poor uniformity of heating in the

multiple layers of food.

- The time-temp combination required to ensure enzyme

in activation at the centre of the bed results in
overheating of food at the edges and loss of texture and
other sensory characteristics

- 60-90seconds
Cooling
- - After blanching, cooling is by cold water or cold air

1. cooling with running water

- - increases leaching losses

- -gain weight by absorbing water

2. Air cooling
- - weight loss due to evaporation

- -nutrient retention
PASTEURIZATION

 Pasteurization is a relatively mild heat treatment in

which foods are heated to less than 100°C

 Aims to eliminate pathogens or to reduce the number of

spoilage organisms in a product or deactivate
microorganisms and enzymes that contribute to food
spoilage

 The process is most commonly used for milk,

bottled/canned fruit and vegetables, beer, wine, fruit,
and carbonated juices and can be used to prevent
diseases such as tuberculosis, diphtheria, scarlet fever,
and many others.
PASTEURIZATION
 In food processing it is used to achieve two primary
goals:

 Food safety (to destroy enzymes and relatively heat-

sensitive micro-organisms such as non-spore-forming
bacteria, yeast, molds, and vegetative bacteria).

 Extend the shelf life of products from a period of days

to months depending on the product and pasteurization
method applied

 The process also decreases enzymatic activity such as

browning or other undesirable color changes.
PASTEURIZATION
 The scope of the parameters used in the pasteurization
process is determined mostly by the natural acidity of
the food
 In high acidic foods, i.e., those with a pH of less than 4.5
such as fruit juice and beer, pasteurization is applied to
destroy pathogenic bacteria and microbes, as well as
inactive enzymes against spoilage.

 In foods with a lower acidic value, i.e., those with a pH

value of more than 4.6 such as milk and liquid eggs,
pasteurization is often applied to eliminate pathogens and
spoilage organisms (yeast and molds).
 The sensible heat required to raise the temperature of a liquid
during pasteurization is found using:

 where Q (W) = specific rate of heat transfer

m(kgs ) = mass flow rate
1

c (kJ kg ºC ) = specific heat capacity

1 1

( (ºC) = temperature change

 PASTEURIZATION
 Bacteria killed by pasteurization include Salmonella,
Listeria, Campylobacter, and Escherichia coli 0157:H7
(E.coli),
 the heat exposure is mild to preserve the sensory or
nutritional qualities of the food, hence does not destroy
all spoilage organisms
 Products to undergo other preservation methods such
as refrigeration or pH reduction.
 The most common application is pasteurization of
liquid milk.
 The pathogenic organism that is of classical importance
is Mycobacterium tuberculosis
PASTEURIZATION
 Time and temperature are the required parameters for
pasteurization, however, how they are applied can vary
from:
 heating foods to a relatively lower temperature and
maintaining it for a longer time, such as Vat/batch/holding
pasteurization, or
 heating foods to a high temperature and holding it for a
short time only such as flash pasteurization
PASTEURIZATION
 The curve can be used to determine the necessary holding
time and temperature
 The times involved are very much shorter, and controlled
rapid heating in continuous heat exchangers simplifies the
calculations so that only the holding period is really
important.
 For example, 30 min at 62.8°C in the older pasteurizing
plants and 15 sec at 71.7°C in the so-called high
temperature/short time (HTST) process are sufficient.
 An even faster process using a temperature of 126.7°C for 4
sec is claimed to be sufficient.

 The most generally used equipment is the plate heat

exchanger and rates of heat transfer to accomplish this
pasteurization can be calculated by the methods explained
previously.
PASTEURIZATION
 Phosphatase is an enzyme present in milk

 Destroyed under the same time-temperature

conditions as the M. tuberculosis

 Chemical tests for the enzyme can be carried out

simply, hence its presence is used as an indicator of
inadequate heat treatment.
PASTEURIZATION CONDITIONS OF MILK
TYPES OF PASTEURIZATION
 Time and temperature are the required parameters for
pasteurization, however, how they are applied can vary
from:
 heating foods to a relatively lower temperature and maintaining it
for a longer time, such as Vat/batch/holding pasteurization, or
 heating foods to a high temperature and holding it for a short time
only such as flash pasteurization
 Low temperature, long time (LTLT) – This process uses
a lower temperature for a longer period of time. For
example, milk is treated at 145 degrees Fahrenheit for 30
minutes.
2. High temperature, short time (HTST) – This process uses
a higher temperature for a shorter period of time. For
example, milk is treated at 161 degrees Fahrenheit for 15
seconds.
 TYPES OF PASTEURIZATION
Batch pasteurization:
 Also known as low-temperature long time (LTLT)
pasteurization.
 Heat the milk to 63°C for 30 minutes.

 The extended holding time causes the alteration in the

milk protein structure and taste.
 The prolonged holding period alters the structure of the
milk proteins making them better suited for making
yogurt.
 TYPES OF PASTEURIZATION
Flash pasteurization:
 known as high-temperature short time (HTST)
pasteurization. Heat the milk to between 72°C to 74°C for 15
to 20 seconds.
 Flash pasteurization involves heating milk to 71.7°C for 15
seconds to kill Coxiella burnetii, which is the most heat-
resistant pathogen in raw milk.
 Since it is technically impossible to bring the milk to that
exact temperature, it is always safe to work with a range of
temperatures.
 To be safe, you can heat the milk to between 72°C to 74°C for
15 to 20 seconds. This will ensure that the milk is heated
uniformly to the required temperature. This method is most
suitable in continuous pasteurization systems. Flash
pasteurized milk will keep for between 16 and 21 days. For
commercial reasons, some manufacturers intentionally
reduce the number of days to push the products out of the
shelves.
 TYPES OF PASTEURIZATION
Ultra-high temperature (UHT) pasteurization:
 It involves heating milk or cream to between 135°C to
150°C for one to two seconds
 chilling it immediately and aseptically packaging it in a
hermetic (air-tight) container for storage.
 Despite the risk of Millard browning, UHT
pasteurization remains the most popular milk
preservation method for safe and stable milk.
THE MILK PASTEURIZATION PROCESS
THE MILK PASTEURIZATION PROCESS
 THE MILK PASTEURIZATION PROCESS
1. Milk chilling
 Chilling is not a pasteurization process but it is a
necessary step when dealing with large volumes of
milk.
 Milk leaves the cow’s udder at temperatures above the
ambient, which encourages rapid bacterial
multiplication that speeds up spoilage.
 Temperatures between 2° C to 5° C stops bacterial
growth and metabolism.
 THE MILK PASTEURIZATION PROCESS
2. Pre-heating (regeneration) and Standardization
Stage
 The chilled milk is heated to about 40°C to facilitate
easy separation of butterfat during standardization.
 The system uses regenerative heating,- uses the heat
of the already pasteurized milk to heat up the incoming
chilled milk. The chilled milk, in a counter-current
flow, cools down the pasteurized milk.
 The purpose of standardization is to obtain a product
with uniform content of butter-fat.
 THE MILK PASTEURIZATION PROCESS
3. Clarification stage
 Clarification is essential for removing all foreign
matter from the product.
 Large solid particles are removed by straining the milk
through tubular metallic filters.
 A centrifugal clarifier is used to remove all soil and
sediments from milk.
 The filters, usually fitted in parallel twins permits
continuous processing as one can be cleaned while the
other is running.
 Clean the filters regularly (between 2 to 10 operational
hours depending on the level of dirt) to avoid the
growth of bacteria.
 THE MILK PASTEURIZATION PROCESS
4. Standardization stage
 It is important to standardize milk fat to ensure that
you end up with a product of consistent quality in the
market. Different consumers prefer different products.
 There are customers who will consume skim milk only
while there are those who will take low-fat milk. There
are those who will take standardized milk while there
are those who prefer high-fat milk.
 Standardization is necessary to ensure that all the
customers are catered for. Again, it is during the
process of standardization that you get to separate the
butterfat that is used for making cream and other fat-
based products such as butter and ghee.
 THE MILK PASTEURIZATION PROCESS
5. Homogenization stage
 Homogenization is a physical process of breaking down
the milk fat globules into tiny droplets to discourage
cream separation.
 Tiny droplets of fat do not rise in a milk column since
reducing their sizes also increases their density in the
milk.
 A milk homogenizer working at between 100 to 170
bars splits all the fat globules into very tiny droplets
that increase the level of integration of the fat in the
milk.
 As a result, the milk fat remains uniformly distributed
in the milk.
 THE MILK PASTEURIZATION PROCESS
6. Heating section
 Utilizes heat from steam to raise the temperatures of
the milk from about 60°C to the required 72°C that is
effective to kill the Clostridium botulinum spores.
 The steam exchanges heat with the milk across the
PHE plates in a counter-current motion.
 In the end, if this section, there is a temperature
sensor, which controls the flow diversion valve.
 Any milk that does not attain the required temperature
is diverted back to the heating section until it attains
the required temperatures.
 THE MILK PASTEURIZATION PROCESS
7. Holding section
 After heating, milk flows into the holding tubes whose
lengths have been calibrated with the milk flow rate to
ensure that milk takes at least 16 seconds in the tubes.
All the milk must maintain the required pasteurization
temperatures at the end of the tubes.
 In case of a breach, a sensor will trigger the flow
diversion valve to take the milk back to the heating
section to bring the milk to the required temperature.
 Once the milk has attained the required temperatures
at the end of the holding tubes, milk flows back to the
regeneration section to heat the incoming chilled milk
while in itself being cooled down to about 30°C.
 THE MILK PASTEURIZATION PROCESS
8. Cooling/chilling section
 After regenerative cooling of pasteurized milk, it moves
to the cooling section of the PHE where chilled
water/PHE coolant lowers the temperature of
pasteurized milk to 4°C.
 The chilled milk is then pumped to the packaging
machines for aseptic packaging and subsequent storage
in the cold room.
EFFECTS OF PASTEURIZATION ON
NUTRITIONAL QUALITY
 Pasteurization typically involves relatively mild heat
treatment so even when it is combined with other unit
operations like irradiation, chilling, or canning in most
circumstances it has a relatively minor effect on the sensory
properties of the food.
 However, if a business seeks a longer self-life they may opt
for UHT treatment which can invoke a Maillard reaction in
the food and change the sensory properties of it.
 Where a Maillard reaction is not created, exposure to high
temperatures can still degrade the sensory quality of the
food or reduce its nutritional value through the destruction
of vitamins and protein components of the food.
 As such, deciding the optimum approach to pasteurization
can result in a balanced consideration between safety and
taste.
EFFECTS OF PASTEURIZATION ON
NUTRITIONAL QUALITY
 Specifically, for milk, pasteurization causes an increase
of Vitamin A concentrations but also causes a
significant decrease in Vitamin B2.
 In fruit juices such as orange, the Vitamin C content in
raw orange juice should be in higher concentration
than its pasteurized equivalent and there may be a loss
in sensory quality which can be attributed to the loss of
volatiles.
 When such situations occur, these can be re-added or
may even be recovered at a later stage to produce a
higher quality product, but if producing milk