Thermal Pasteurization

Thermal pasteurization is important unit operation to the food industry for producing high quality foods with extended shelf-life in refrigeration or cold storage. Pasteurization processing aims at improving the safety of food by inactivating food-borne pathogens and viruses. Thermal pasteurization also partially inactivates enzymes and kills microorganisms that cause spoilage. The temperature and time of thermal pasteurization depend on the target pathogens to be controlled in each food. Food products can be pasteurized in tanks/vats and heat exchangers prior to aseptic packaging or pre-packaged, and pasteurized in batch or continuous systems.