The heat exchanger is one of the integral parts of processing through UHT and HTST. Due to the wide use of pasteurization, especially the HTST process, when it comes to food and beverages, it’s important to know how each step of the process adds to the value of what is being pasteurized. There are different parts and layers when it comes to a system.
Before anything else, it’s important to understand what pasteurization is and how important it is as a part of food consumption.
Pasteurization of Food
When you think of pasteurization, you think of a method that’s used to preserve something to ensure that it has a prolonged shelf life. Although that’s one of the many benefits included when food is pasteurized, it’s not the only thing that food manufacturers and storers focus on. Pasteurization also ensures that you’re destroying pathogenic organisms before packing food.
Pathogenic organisms such as viruses, bacteria, molds, and yeats need to be reduced in order to ensure the longevity of what’s going to be packed. When you reduce the amount of these organisms, you’re also reducing the risk of shipping out contaminated food to consumers which could, in turn, poison them.
What’s the use of a plate heat exchanger?
A plate heat exchanger or any heat exchanger, in general, is used for a wide variety of tasks concerning industrial processes. From air conditioning components to being integral parts of cooling and heating system, they’ve become must-haves in order to efficiently control the temperature of most machinery.
Heat exchangers can be designed in a manner that lets the user reach a specific temperature and maintain it without damaging any of the other parts of a device. This means that it’s incredibly useful for usage with a multitude of what would be generic devices such as fans, belts, coolants, tubes, linings and condensers.
What is the HTST pasteurization method?
HTST, which stands for High Temperature/Short Time, is a pasteurization method that is utilized by many manufacturers today. It’s widely used by food companies to ensure the longevity of the food and beverages that they produce. It utilizes a heat exchange unit that is able to transfer the thermal energy from the foodstuff and maintain the temperature.
As long as the temperature is maintained at a designated high level, most pathogenic organisms which could be classified as harmful contents when consumed are reduced greatly. This process is incredibly efficient and has proven to save costs on energy and is one of the best ways to guarantee that the environmental concerns are minimal.
What is the UHT pasteurization method?
The Ultra-High Temperature method of pasteurization is used by companies that want a faster process that can still ensure a longer shelf life for food products. The main difference between HTST and UHT is you’d have to ensure that you package all of the foodstuff contents into sterile containers. This also means that you have to maintain a sterile environment