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In the destruction of micro organisms by means of heat, it is important to know what the thermal process temperature is and for how long it has been maintained in the container. In the thermal evaluation of a product the worst case scenario is always used.
The first step in determining the process parameters is to evaluate the equipment. In the canning industry we use a remote temperature probe that is placed in the thermal processing device in predetermined positions to find what is called the coldest spot in the equipment. In the case of retorting, the probes are placed between the containers at various levels of the baskets used for holding the products in the retort. After all of the temperatures are recorded, they are compared and any differences found are investigated to find the cause of it.
Once the evaluation is done, the coldest spot is determined and this spot is used for the determination of the adequacy of the thermal process. A probe is placed in one of the product containers and filled with the desired product. The container is sealed and placed in the pre-determined coldest spot of the processing equipment. The equipment is filled with product as for a normal process and the processing cycle is started. At the end of the process, the container with the probe is removed and the data analysed to calculate the efficacy of the thermal process.
From the results, the F0
or the PU value can be calculated. The results of both tests are
recorded in a report that can be submitted to the authorities.
We can assist you with the testing of these parameters without disrupting your normal processing or production schedules.
The advantages of testing is that you can determine the correct processing time of your products, which could lead to a reduction in processing time or prevent unnecessary product spoilage as a result of under processing.