Increasing preservation efficiency and product quality through control of temperature distributions in high pressure applications

The effectiveness of HP sterilisation is a function of both temperature and pressure. As during pressurisation the product temperature increases, heat transfer to the colder HPP vessel wall occurs and the product fraction near the vessel wall will be colder than the product in the middle of the vessel. The effect of the temperature distribution in the vessel on the inactivation of Bacillus stearothermophilus has been examined. A mathematical model has been built, in which both thermodynamics and inactivation kinetics are integrated. Heat transfer is based on a Finite Element simulation, inactivation kinetics are based on first order kinetics. Based on this model and experiments the effect of an homogeneous temperature distribution on inactivation is demonstrate