Importance of the sterilization in carbonated beverage and juice production plant

Nowadays, carbonated beverages and juice have a variety of flavors and varieties, which are very popular among young people and have a large market.Sterilization is an important part of beverage processing.Here I will introduce the sterilization equipment in carbonated beverage production line and juice production line. 

Beverage sterilization is somewhat different from medical and biological sterilization. Beverage sterilization has two meanings: one is to kill the contaminated pathogenic bacteria and spoilage bacteria 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 , has a certain shelf life.Second, it is required to protect the nutrients and flavor of the beverage as much as possible during the sterilization process.

There are two types of beverage sterilization methods: physical sterilization and chemical sterilization. 

The chemical sterilization method uses 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. 

The physical sterilization method is divided into heat sterilization method and cold sterilization method. The heat sterilization method is divided into heat sterilization method, dry heat sterilization method, microwave sterilization method and far infrared heat sterilization method. The cold sterilization method is divided into ultraviolet radiation sterilization method, ionizing radiation sterilization method and freezing sterilization method. In the most heat sterilization method, there are pasteurization, high temperature short-term sterilization and ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization. 

The pasteurization is a low-temperature and long-term sterilization method. The sterilization temperature is lower than 100 ℃and the holding time is 30 minutes. High temperature short-time sterilization (HTST), the sterilization temperature is generally below 100 ℃, such as the HTST sterilization temperature of milk is 85 ℃, keep it for more than 15 seconds. Ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization (UHT), the sterilization temperature is above 120 ℃, and it is only maintained for a few seconds. HTST and UHT sterilization methods are not only efficient, but the structure and appearance of food and the preservation of nutrition and flavor are better than other sterilization methods. According to the above-mentioned sterilization methods, there are many types of beverage sterilization equipment developed accordingly. 

There are three types according to the form of the processed materials:

(1) Sterilization equipment for fluid beverages 

Fluid beverages refer to unpackaged dairy products, juices and other materials. There are direct and indirect types of sterilization equipment for processing such materials. The direct type is to spray steam directly into the material for sterilization. The indirect type is to sterilize the beverage by heat exchange with plate and tube heat exchangers.

(2) Sterilization equipment for canned beverages 

Beverages with packaging containers, such as canned beverages and bottled beverages, can be classified into atmospheric sterilization equipment and pressurized sterilization equipment according to different sterilization temperatures. The sterilization temperature of the atmospheric sterilization equipment is below 100°C, and it is used for the sterilization of beverage products with a pH value of less than 4.5. Canned food sterilization equipment designed with the principle of pasteurization belongs to this category. Pressure sterilization equipment is generally carried out in a closed equipment, the pressure is greater than 0.1MPa, and the temperature is usually around 120℃. Atmospheric pressure and pressure sterilization equipment can also be divided into batch type and continuous type in operation. According to the different heat sources used in the sterilization equipment, it can be divided into direct steam heat sterilization equipment, water heating sterilization equipment, flame continuous sterilization machine and so on.

(3) Physical sterilization equipment using electromagnetic waves 

This type of sterilization equipment uses physical radiation such as microwaves, far infrared rays, and ultraviolet rays for heat sterilization, and is a promising sterilization equipment.