Advantages of heat processing

• Improve eating quality

• Preventive effects

• Destruction of anti-nutritional components

• Improvement in availability of some nutrients

• Relatively simple control of processing conditions

Types of heat processing

• Mild processes

– Blanching

– Pasteurization

• More severe processes

– Baking

– Roasting

– Frying

Heat processing using steam or water

• Blanching

– Used to destroy

• MO

• Enzymatic activity in fruits and vegetables

– Not necessary for onions and green peppers

– Not intended as a sole method of preservation

Blanching

• Involves:

– Heating food to a preset temperature

– Cool rapidly to neat ambient temperature

Blanching

• Factors that influence blanching time

– Type of fruit or vegetable

– Size of the piece of food

– Blanching temperature

– Method of heating

Blanching

• Enzyme inactivation

– Freezing and dehydration are insufficient to inactivate enzymes

– Canning conditions may allow sufficient time for enzymatic activity

– Underblanching may increase the amount of enzymatic activity

Blanching

• Enzyme inactivation

– Mechanism of inactivation

• Remember enzymes are proteins

• Proteins denature at high temperatures

• Denatured enzymes lose activity

Blanching

• Enzyme inactivation

– Heat resistance of enzymes characterized by

• D and Z values

• Enzymes that cause loss of quality:

– Lipoxygenase
– Polyphenoloxidase

– Polygalacturonase

– Chlorophyllase

Blanching

• Enzyme inactivation

– Heat resistance enzymes

• Catalase

• Peroxidase

Blanching

• Other functions of blanching

– Reduce the number of MO

Blanching

• Equipment

• Two methods

– Use of steam

– Use of a hot water bath

Blanching

• Steam blanchers

– Advantages

• Smaller loss of water soluble components

• Smaller volume of waste

• Lower disposal charges

• Easy to clean and sterilize

• Steam blanchers

– Disadvantages

• Limited cleaning of food

• Higher capital costs

• Uneven blanching

• Some mass loss in food

• Poor energy efficiency

Blanching

• Hot water blanchers

– Advantages

• Lower capital costs

• Better energy efficiency

– Disadvantages

• Loss of water soluble components

• Higher cost of water and disposal of effluent

• Risk of contamination

Pasteurization

• Heat treatment performed below 100oC

• Main function is to

– Inactivate enzymes

– Kill non-spore forming bacteria

– Kill yeasts and molds

Pasteurization

• The severity of the heat treatment depends on pH of food

• Destruction of pathogenic bacteria

– High acid food (pH < 4.5)

• Destruction of spoilage MO

• Inactivation of enzymes

Pasteurization

• Extent of heat required determine by

– The D value of the most heat resistant enzyme or MO which may be present in food

– Examples:

• Milk – 12D60 in C. burnettii

• Liquid whole eggs – 9D in S. seftenburg

Pasteurization

• Higher temperature and short time (HTST)

– Better retention of nutrients

• Also called flash pasteurization

• Example: Milk

– 88oC for 1 sec

– 94oC for 0.1 sec

– 100oC for 0.01 sec

Pasteurization

• HTST for milk

– Alkaline phosphatase (ALP)

• Naturally occurring enzyme in milk

• Has similar heat resistance to heat resistant pathogens

• If ALP is destroyed then milk is adequately pasteurized

• Pasteurization of packaged foods

– Some liquid foods are pasteurized after packaging

– Usually done with hot water if packaged in glass

– Steam – Air mixtures or hot water used for metal or plastic containers

Pasteurization Equipment

• Pasteurization of unpackaged liquids

– Low viscosity foods (milk, milk products, fruit juices and liquid eggs)

– Usually done as a continuous operation

• Plate heat exchangers

– Most widely used

– Consist of a series of thin vertical stainless steel plates

Tunnel Pasteurizer

Pasteurization Equipment

• Plate heat exchanger

– Plates form parallel channels

– Liquid food and heating medium are pumped in alternate channels

– Usually set up in counter current patterns

Heat treatment or thermal processing of food is used in order to kill or inactivate bacteria, increase the
shelf-life, or create products with an attractive appearance. Nofima is carrying out research into several
thermal methods, and how to optimise them, from sous vide processing to food canning.

Today’s cooled displays contain healthy and palatable ready-to-eat meals several weeks after they were
produced. This is possible because the food has undergone heat treatment during production.

The scientists at Nofima have long experience and extensive expertise in these technologies. We help
food producers with the complete process from the composition of the products, the choice of
production and processing method, packaging and equipment, and finding the optimal heat treatment
with respect to time, temperature and pressure.

Some of the areas in which we carry out research, provide documentation, and provide advice are listed
below.

Gentle processes

We advise on how to keep the product quality when using traditional heat treatment equipment such as
autoclaves and retorts, but also using innovative and novel technologies such as agitation and
microwaves. (Link to High pressure and new technology.)

Mininmal thermal processing

The food is heated to a low temperature for a short period and acquires a fresh and attractive
appearance, while retaining most of the nutrients. The technique is particularly suitable for food that
does not need a shelf-life of longer than 7-12 days. Catering establishments for canteens, sheltered
accommodation and hospitals often use this technique, and it is used also by restaurants and other food
outlets.

Cook-chill
The cook-chill method is used to preserve as much flavour and moisture as possible in the products. The
food is heat treated at a temperature and time depending on raw material and desired product quality.
After rapid cooling the food is packaged and stored at chilled temperatures.

The shelf-life of such products is generally limited to 10-14 days, depending on the storage conditions
and raw material. The method is often combined with modified atmosphere packaging

Preservation and shelf-life

Sous vide

Sous vide is used to describe food that has been vacuum-packed and given mild heat treatment before
being stored in at chilled conditions. The heat treatment takes place after packaging and under
controlled conditions of time and temperature, and the food is subsequently rapidly cooled. The
products are kept chilled until they are heated before serving.

Nofima was involved in the development of Fjordland’s ready-to-eat meals, which can now be found in
retail stores all over Norway. Sous vide is now also used with a more intense heat treatment, and this
has made it possible to produce ready-to-eat food that has a shelf-life of several weeks. Testing the
nutritional value of four ready-to-eat meals has shown the method to be just as good as corresponding
home-cooking.

Pasteurisation

Pasteurisation is a classic thermal processing to reduce the number of harmful bacteria. A typical
pasteurisation process designed to control cold-tolerant Clostridium bacteria is heat treatment
corresponding to 10 minutes at 90 °C at the coldest point of the product. Temperature and time is
depended on the targeted food pathogen. Pasteurised products must be stored under chilled
conditions, and can have shelf-lives up to 6 months.

Canning and sterile products

The most common form of sterile packaging is stainless steel or aluminium cans. Other materials used
are glass, plastic (stand-up bags and trays) and fibre-based materials (cardboard). Both pasteurisation
and sterilisation generally take place after packaging. As long as the package integrity is not broken,
canned foods can be stored for many years at room temperature.
Nofima has high expertise in this field and carries out, among other operations, heat measurement and
heat documentation for exporters of canned products.

Novel thermal technologies

Classic heat treatment is a tough process for many products, and may influence the texture, nutritional
value or colour. Because of this, we have an increased research emphasis into novel and more gentle
processes to keep the quality more effectively and reduced the negative changes, while giving equally
high food safety and shelf-life.

Examples include the sous-vide process described above, heat treatment under agitation (shaka
autoclave) , the use of microwaves or steam to optimize the the heat treatment, and make it more
effective and gentle.