Sterilization equipment
Sterilization is an important part of beverage processing. Beverage sterilization is different from medical and biological sterilization. Beverage sterilization has two meanings: one is to kill the pathogenic bacteria and spoilage bacteria contaminated in the beverage, and destroy the enzymes in the food to make the beverage in a specific environment, such as in a closed bottle, can or other packaging container. , there is a certain shelf life; the second is to protect the nutrients and flavors in the beverage as much as possible during the sterilization process. Therefore, sterilized beverages are commercially sterile.
Beverage sterilization methods include physical sterilization and chemical sterilization. Chemical sterilization is the use of bactericides such as hydrogen peroxide, ethylene oxide, and sodium hypochlorite. Due to the influence of chemical residues in chemical sterilization, contemporary food sterilization methods tend to be physical sterilization methods. Physical sterilization methods are divided into heat sterilization methods and cold sterilization methods. Thermal sterilization is further divided into thermal sterilization, dry heat sterilization, microwave sterilization and far-infrared heating sterilization. Cold sterilization is divided into ultraviolet radiation sterilization, ionizing radiation sterilization and freezing sterilization. Among the moist heat sterilization methods, there are pasteurization method, high temperature short-time sterilization method and ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization method. The so-called pasteurization is a low-temperature long-term sterilization method, the sterilization temperature is lower than 100 ℃, and the holding time is 30min. High temperature short time sterilization method (HTST), the sterilization temperature is generally below 100 ℃. Ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization (UHT), the sterilization temperature is above 120 ℃, and it only lasts for a few seconds. HTST and UHT sterilization methods are not only efficient, but also better than other sterilization methods in the preservation of food structure and appearance, nutrition and flavor.
