Page 47 - FoodFocusThailand No.143_February 2018

SMART PRODUCTION

The Technology of Thermal

Processed, Shelf Stable Foods

Food is an integral part of Thai conversation and Thailand has become one of the
world’s largest and advanced producers and exporters of processed food products. Its
rich agricultural roots and resources have made Thailand the sole net food exporter in
Asia and one of the top five net food exporters in the world.
Ellab A/S
Pamalyne Marketing Co., Ltd.
info@pml-marketing.com
The development of thermal is important to monitor the pressure inside the retort and containers
processing foods for its long-time during the processing.
preservation is the most spectacular Overpressure conditions during processing influences package
development that has taken place in expansion by constraining the expansion of the headspace gases. The
the field of food science and technology pressure inside the retort should be controlled in order to avoid the
during the last 300 years. Thermal pouches de-lamination and cans deformation. The pressure inside the
processed foods are those being retort should be monitored properly and it is advisable to monitor the
vegetables, meat or fish, and have pressure inside the containers also during the processing.
been made shelf-stable by the Therefore, it is necessary for qualified manufacturers to have own
combined application of sealing thermal validation equipment in order to maintain food safety and
product into an airtight container, heat quality consistently as well as saving time in the long term.
treatment to destroy or inhibit all enzymes, microorganisms, toxins and
leave the product’s nutritional values as well as its sensory characteristics เอกสารอ้างอิง/Reference
undamaged to the highest possible extent. www.ellab.com
Process Control Procedure (PCP) and Process Control Equipment
(PCE) are the essential Requirements of a Good Thermal Processing
Plant, so heat penetration studies must be designed to adequately and
accurately examine all critical factors associated with the product, package
and process, which affect heating rates. Before commencing a heat
penetration study, an evaluation of retort temperature and heat transfer
uniformity should be completed. The purpose of these studies is identifying
the worst-case temperature response expected to occur in commercial
production as influenced by the product, package and process.
Temperature Measurement, Data Acquisition and F 0
Calculation System
Accuracy and precision of the data acquisition system used for heat
penetration studies affects temperature readings. It is important to bear
in mind that a systematic error of 1 °C of the temperature measurements
corresponds to an inaccuracy of 26% in the F -value calculation at 120 °C.
0
The system should be able to measure the data from different containers
and calculate F values of all the selected containers automatically and
0
should give proper documentation (either through a printer or through
computer). The system should be able to accept the required F values
0
and once it is achieved, the system should be able to send the signal so
that the process can be controlled accordingly.
Thermocouples and wireless temperature data loggers are the most
common temperature measuring devices used in thermal process.
Selection of right size and methods of inserting the probes have
crucial roles in accuracy of validation systems and they should result in
an airtight, watertight seal.

Monitoring Pressure
The application of heat causes the food product inside the container to
expand and will result in increasing pressure inside the container, so it

FEB 2018 FOOD FOCUS THAILAND 47