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How to pasteurize liquids in-line ?
Pasteurization is one of the main food preservation methods. Used by numerous food industries worldwide, pasteurization helps preserve food from microorganisms and significantly extends its shelf life.
Discover the most common continuous heating methods to pasteurize liquid and pasty products.
Principle of pasteurization
Pasteurization is one of the most widely used food preservation processes in the food industry. It consists of heating a product to a specific temperature for a controlled period of time in order to reduce the microbial load and inactivate certain enzymes.
Developed in the 19th century following the pioneering work of Louis Pasteur, this technique revolutionized food preservation by demonstrating that heating food below its boiling point could inactivate the microorganisms responsible for its spoilage. Pasteurization does not eliminate all microorganisms, but it reduces their presence sufficiently to extend the shelf life of food products.
Liquids pasteurization process
Although the pasteurization process can be used on solid foods such as meat products, eggs, nuts, ready meals or bakery items, it is predominantly employed in the food industry to treat liquid products, especially milk. The process of pasteurizing liquids involves subjecting the liquid product to high temperatures. This is what distinguishes this process from low-temperature pasteurization used to sanitize non-liquid foods.
Pasteurization of liquids is used on many food products to preserve it. It is a technique generally used on drinks such as milk, dairy products, fruit juice, etc. It can also be used to pasteurize pasty products such as jam or honey.
Conventionally, pasteurization is carried out with a heat exchanger whose principle is the energy transfer through a wall (surface).
How does liquid pasteurization process work
A pasteurizer is composed of four sections that allow the liquid to undergo four stages of processing:
- Recovery or preheating
- Heating to the pasteurization temperature
- Temperature holding during the requested time
- Finally the optional cooling step before packaging
Most of pasteurizers works with heat exchangers, who consist in transferring thermal energy from one liquid, often water, to another. The heat energy mostly comes from steam or hot water generated by a gas boiler or an electric source.
Pasteurization by microwave
As an expert of microwave generators and supplier of industrial solutions for food companies SAIREM has developed a fast and efficient solution with a reduced footprint: an in-line microwave heater. This equipment works with both liquids, pasty, or grain products. It is currently used to heat the product to the temperature you need within a few seconds, or to start a pasteurizing process. Depending on product’s, power, and requested temperature raise, it can process up to 12 tons of product per hour.
Microwave pasteurization is a fast process that can be carried out continuously, offering significant logistical advantages in terms of product handling and production planning. Our proven technology ensures optimal homogeneity, thus allowing for a reduction in the pasteurization temperature of food products.
Key benefits of microwave pasteurization
Unlike traditional pasteurizers, microwave pasteurization solutions offer several advantages:
Speed: The microwave pasteurization process is completed within seconds.
Space-saving: For the same processing capacity, microwave pasteurization equipment requires significantly less floor space than conventional pasteurizers.
Energy efficiency: Thermal energy is transferred directly into the product, minimizing heat losses to the surrounding environment.
NutriPure – Industrial pasteurization equipment
Improve your liquid in-line processing
Contact our experts to discover how microwave technology can optimize your liquid processing and pasteurization.