Pasteurisers
A pasteuriser is a machine that heats a food or drink to a set temperature for a set time to kill harmful micro-organisms, then cools it quickly. Pasteurisation is the key food safety step on most dairy and many beverage lines. It usually comes after reception, clarification and standardisation and before filling. On a milk line the homogeniser is often built into the pasteuriser's circuit, so the two machines work as one system. Pasteurisation makes milk, juice and other liquids safe to drink and extends their chilled shelf life, but it does not make them sterile; that is the job of ultra-high-temperature or retort processing. The most common continuous design is the high-temperature short-time pasteuriser built around a plate heat exchanger. Incoming cold product is warmed by hot outgoing product in a regeneration section, which saves energy, then heated to the pasteurisation temperature, held in a holding tube for the required time, and cooled. A flow diversion valve returns any product that has not reached temperature so it cannot move forward unpasteurised. Tubular heat exchangers are used for viscous products and those with particles, such as juices with pulp. Batch or vat pasteurisers heat product in a jacketed tank and suit small dairies and specialty products. Tunnel pasteurisers treat drinks after they are sealed in bottles or cans by passing them through zones of hot water spray. Pasteurisers are used for milk, cream, yoghurt and cheese milk, ice cream mix, fruit juices and nectars, liquid egg, beer, soft drinks and plant-based drinks. Cost and performance are driven by throughput, the heat treatment required by the product and local regulations, regeneration efficiency, the type of heat exchanger, the level of automation and recording, and cleaning-in-place integration. Regulators often require recording thermometers and fail-safe diversion, so control and documentation are part of the specification. Energy for heating and cooling is a major running cost, which is why regeneration efficiency matters.
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Buying criteria
Start from the product and the legal requirement. The heat treatment, holding time and recording rules for your product and market define the pasteuriser's design, controls and documentation. Choose the heat exchanger for the product. Plate heat exchangers suit milk and clear liquids; tubular designs suit viscous products and those with particles; tunnel pasteurisers treat filled containers. Compare energy use. A higher regeneration efficiency cuts heating and cooling costs, which run for the life of the plant. Ask how heat is supplied and how cooling water or chilled water is used. Check automation, cleaning and validation: flow diversion, temperature recording, cleaning-in-place integration, run length between cleans and the supplier's support for validating the system with your regulator. Ask about spare parts, gasket replacement intervals and local service, because a pasteuriser outage usually stops the whole line.
Buyers ask
How much does an industrial pasteuriser cost?
It depends on capacity, the type of heat exchanger, the heat treatment required and the level of automation. Continuous plate pasteurisers with high regeneration, automatic flow diversion, recording and cleaning-in-place integration cost more than small batch vat pasteurisers. Utilities such as hot water, steam and chilled water, plus validation and installation, also add to the total.
What is HTST pasteurisation?
HTST stands for high-temperature short-time. Product flows continuously through a heat exchanger, is heated to the required temperature, held in a holding tube for the required time, and then cooled. A diversion valve sends back any product that has not reached temperature. It is the most common method for pasteurising milk.
What is the difference between pasteurisation and UHT?
Pasteurisation uses a milder heat treatment that kills harmful micro-organisms and gives a chilled product with a limited shelf life. UHT, or ultra-high-temperature treatment, uses a much more intense heat treatment followed by aseptic filling, producing a commercially sterile product that can be stored at room temperature.
What is a tunnel pasteuriser used for?
A tunnel pasteuriser treats drinks after they have been filled and sealed in bottles or cans. Containers travel through zones of warm and hot water spray that heat and then cool them. It is widely used for beer, juices and soft drinks where the product is pasteurised in its final pack.